Cherie Jessica Hewitt

Cherie Jessica Hewitt, beloved mother of Jessica Naomi Hewitt and cherished grandmother of Skyler Phoenix Hewitt-Lively, was killed in her home in Warrenville SC on May 19, 2025, age 53. Her tragic death leaves a void that her grieving family and many loving friends can never fill.

Cherie was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts on March 17, 1972. After a difficult childhood characterized by many losses, she was joyfully adopted by Dr. Charles Hewitt and Naomi Frost-Hewitt of Aiken SC when she was eleven years old. Her parents delighted in her bright mind, her adventurous energy, and her generous spirit. Cherie was a talented, intrepid athlete who excelled in volleyball and equestrian hunter-jumper competition during her high school years.

Cherie’s gift for enduring friendship, her passion for justice, and her deep compassion for people in pain characterized all her relationships. She never failed to offer shelter, food, and a listening ear to young people in need. Many of those she helped still call her, “Momma.”

Cherie and her mother established the second certified organic farm in Aiken County at Timshel Gardens, 2006-2009. She gloried in canning the produce from her own garden into salsas, soups, desserts and vegetable delicacies. She cherished her companion dogs and cats and famously adored her backyard chickens, whom she collected in all possible color combinations, like flowers.

Cherie’s zest for life and quick wit lit up every gathering. Her loyalty and protectiveness toward those she loved touched so many lives. Her resilience in the face of hardship continues to inspire her community of friends and family.

Cherie was preceded in death by her father, Charles H. Hewitt, Jr., MD in 2003. She is survived by her mother, Naomi Jane Frost-Hewitt, her daughter Jessica Naomi Hewitt, her grandson Skyler Phoenix Hewitt-Lively, her brother Joe Ference (“Uncle Cowboy”) and her birth family in New England. Cherie was eagerly anticipating the birth of her first granddaughter, Raelyn Naomi Cherie, whose loving father Justin Hewitt-Lively she delighted in calling “my Grandbaby Daddy.” She is also cherished in memory by her aunts and uncles on her mother’s and father’s sides, and their extended families.

A future celebration of Cherie’s life will be scheduled to allow travel by family and friends. Donations in her name to the Cumbee Center to Assist Abused Persons and the Aiken Unitarian Universalist Church are deeply appreciated.

SHELLHOUSE - RIVERS FUNERAL HOME, 715 EAST PINE LOG RD., AIKEN, SC