Sheridan F Tidwell

Cherie Smith Tidwell (8/25/1947-9/26/2025)
Cherie Tidwell was born Sheridan Faye Smith in the post-WWII boom in Atlanta, GA to William 'Bill' Taylor Smith (US Navy) and Sara Juanita Powell. As a girl, Cherie's favorite pastimes were reading and music, traits she would pass on to her children. After the early death of her father when she was 13, she also strived to help her mother during an age that wasn't always built for single mothers by helping care for her younger brother, Rod, while her mother worked a very demanding job with the Fulton County District Attorney's Office.
Through her love of God, fun, and music, she began attending Methodist Youth Fellowship at Collins Memorial United Methodist Church in Bolton, GA. It was there she first met the love of her life, Bill. Discovering they shared the same birth month and day, Bill asked her out to dinner (pizza) and a movie. And thus began a love affair that would last over 60 years.
Married in February of 1967 (Valentine's Day minus 4!), they set up housekeeping; first in Atlanta and later in Morrow, then Griffin. Along the way, they welcomed two children - Mandy and Trey. She was a wonderful mother, embodying both the ability to always make her children feel supported, while also giving them the foundation and courage they needed to forge their own paths.
Cherie was also a founding member of St. John Lutheran Church in Griffin, GA. There she spent many years sharing her talents as a member of the church choir, donating her time as a Vacation Bible School teacher, and helping to found and expand the St. John Thanksgiving ministry that over the years served hot Thanksgiving Day meals to thousands of homebound recipients and public safety personnel.
Once her children were independent, she turned to completing her own education. First obtaining an Associate's degree from Gordon College, followed by a Bachelor's degree from Mercer University, and finally a Master's degree from West Georgia College. She never failed to tease that she was the most educated person in the household. She put those degrees to work as a Social Worker at the Crossroads Program in Griffin, GA. There she not only was able to help connect families with special needs children with services they so desperately needed, but she was also privileged to work with a talented and caring group of colleagues who became lifelong friends.
Along with Bill, Cherie shared and passed on so much of her talents and passions to her children. Trey used her passion for music to become a professional musician and a member of numerous choirs and bands during his all-too-brief life. Mandy transformed Cherie's loves for literature, history, and travel into a life of discovery and leadership, combining all three. Together, the positivity of Cherie and Bill produced two amazing children, which led to remarkable adults.
In retirement, she indulged herself with a new hobby - traveling, most often with Mandy. She enjoyed globetrotting to such glamorous locations as Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, as well as numerous places closer to home. She became famous among her friends for the travel blogs she posted on Facebook documenting each trip with her daughter. She often joked that if she knew how much fun grown children would be, she would have had them sooner.
In 2021, she and Bill moved from the Griffin house they shared for over 40 years to The Spires at Berry College in Rome, GA. In this new environment she was able to fully indulge in her love of music and branched into performing both with the local pickers at the Spires, as well as singing at the Georgia Mountain Music Club weekly gatherings.
During her life, Cherie truly was a beacon of light - spreading love, support, and empathy to all who knew her. She had an extraordinary gift for making everyone she met feel like family, using her joyful sense of humor and a contagious laugh in a sometimes-difficult world, which was an enormous welcome. The battle with cancer that took her from us was mercifully brief and she was surrounded by her family, friends, and pastor when God called her home.
Cherie was preceded in death by her son Trey and is survived by her husband Bill, daughter Mandy, daughter-in law Danna, brother Rod, sisters-in-law Vicki (Steve) and Terri (Steve), as well as numerous nieces/nephews, cousins, and a multitude of friends.
A celebration of Cherie's life will be held on Sunday, November 9th at 3:00 pm at St. John Lutheran Church, 1689 US 41 Bypass South, Griffin, GA 30224.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:
The Bill, Cherie and Leslie Tidwell Scholarship - A Hank Aaron Scholarship
Berry College, P.O. Box 490069, Mt. Berry, GA 30149
https://berry.givingfuel.com/gift