Joseph C. Tisdale III

Joseph Christopher Tisdale III, 67, of North Myrtle Beach, S.C., died Dec. 20, 2009, at Tidelands Hospice House after suffering a stroke on Dec. 12. He was the only child of J.C. and Mary Smith Tisdale of Petersburg, Va.

A graduate of Petersburg High School, Chris loved sports lettering in baseball and basketball. He was a star basketball player at Petersburg High School, scoring over 1,000 points in his high school career. An avid tennis player, he loved the game playing with his friends at the Walnut Hills tennis courts.

Dr. Tisdale attended Georgia Tech and received bachelor, masters and doctorate degrees from the University of Virginia. He played college baseball at the University of Virginia and semi-pro baseball in the Valley of Virginia League. He was a math professor at Winthrop University from 1971 until retirement and a visiting professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

For more than 30 years, Chris was a resident of Tega Cay, S.C. He was active in the Charlotte tennis community and enjoyed water sports on Lake Wylie. His interest included reading and watching news and financial media, eating out, and taking morning rides with the family dog. He was actively involved in coaching, transporting and watching his son, Jordan, play high school and AAU basketball. After moving permanently to Myrtle Beach, he enjoyed tennis with Conway and Ocean Creek men's groups, beach bands at Ocean Drive, and reluctantly learned to shag dance.

Chris is survived by his wife, Nancy; son, Jordan Christopher; and beloved pet, Buddy, all of Myrtle Beach. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Dr. Charles Garrison of Atlanta, Ga.; sister-in-law and husband, Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Brady of Wichita, Kansas. His aunts, Virginia S. Evans of South Hill, Va., Dorothy Smith of Richmond and Greet Smith of Staunton; and numerous cousins, who all were dear to him.

Funeral services will be held at J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home of Petersburg, Va., at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009. Visitation with the family will be from noon to 1 p.m. prior to the service. Burial will be with his parents at Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg.

J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home will be in charge of the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the University of Virginia Baseball Foundation, Tidelands Hospice House of Georgetown, S.C., or the Angel Fund at Kind Care Animal Hospital in Little River, S.C. Condolences may be registered at www.jtmorriss.com.