Marie D. Cahela, 79, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 13, 2026, surrounded by her loving family.

Marie was born on January 22, 1947, in East Orange, New Jersey, to Eugene James Daniello and Genevieve Johnson Daniello. She lived in New Jersey until the early 1970s, when she ventured south with her children in search of a new life. After brief stops in Columbus, Georgia, and Bessemer, Alabama, she set her sights on Daytona Beach, Florida. Along the way, she stopped in Savannah for the day, and as fate would have it, the charm of the city captured her heart. From that moment on, she knew she was home.

Marie spent most of her career in sales—whether it was office equipment, life insurance, or burial plots. She thrived in every role because she truly never met a stranger. On a whim, she decided to get her CDL (why, we will never know), but she loved being behind the wheel of a truck, whether it was a semi, dump truck, or box truck. In 2007, she joined her daughter and son-in-law in their business, Downtime Fleet Management, driving a box truck and eventually delivering thousands of tires throughout the Southeast until her retirement.

Marie loved reading, watching The Golden Girls and the Game Show Network. I’m sure she’s trying to track down Betty White even as I write this. Her greatest achievements in life were her children and her four beautiful granddaughters. She loved us all to the moon and back. She may not have been able to shower us with every gift she wished she could, but she spelled love F-O-O-D. As proud Italian heritage would suggest, if she loved you, she was cooking for you—whether you were hungry or not. Our friends quickly became her friends, and she often kept in better touch with them than we did.

Her favorite holiday was Christmas. Starting as early as August, she would begin calling and texting all of us, trying to find out what we wanted under the tree. It drove us crazy, and we complained endlessly to each other—but this August, we will all wish for just one more text from her asking what we want for Christmas.

Marie spent much of this past year in the hospital, bravely fighting to get well so she could finally travel to the places she had always dreamed of seeing. While we are heartbroken that she did not get to fulfill those dreams, we take comfort in knowing she is no longer suffering. We believe she is now seeing every beautiful place from heaven above.

We lost our dear mom, Nonna, and sister, but we gained a loving guardian angel who will watch over us until we are together again.

Marie is survived by her brother, James (Rochelle) Daniello of Kissimmee, Florida; her children, Monica (Billy) Dorsey, Adele (John) Henderson, and Vinnie Cusanelli; her granddaughters, Sarah Henderson, Emily (Jackson) Beasley, Natalie Henderson, and Haley Henderson, all of Savannah; her nephew and niece, Michael and Andrea Daniello of New Jersey; and many cousins along the East Coast.

The family would like to sincerely thank Dr. Adewumi Oguntunmibi for the warmth, compassion, and attentive care he showed our mother during her six weeks in the hospital. We are also deeply grateful to the caring nurses of the Candler ICU and PCU for their kindness and dedication.

We invite family and friends to join us to celebrate the life of Marie on Saturday, March 28th, from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Coach’s Corner on Victory Drive. Please stop by to share memories, stories, and laughter as we honor her life.

A private burial service with the family will be held at Forest Lawn at an earlier date.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Marie’s honor to the Humane Society of Greater Savannah, 7215 Sallie Mood Drive, Savannah, GA 31406, or Hospice Savannah, 1352 Eisenhower Drive, Savannah, GA 31406.