Barbara Jeanne Williams Sheridan — beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother; devoted sister and friend; zealous teacher, tutor, and lifelong learner; follower of Christ and devotee to His Word; decorated roller dancer; and all-around Wonder Woman — died on Friday, August 2, 2024, in Norfolk, VA, after a brief illness. She was 85.
Barbara was born on Jan. 21, 1939, in Wellsville, NY, the second daughter of W. Kenneth and Charry E. (Woodard) Williams. As children, she and her sisters Charry and Cheryl would spend summer vacations swimming and boating at their parents’ vacation home on Cuba Lake in Cuba, NY — an early introduction to the town that would become so central to her life.
In high school during the late 1950s, she channeled a love of roller skating into a competitive endeavor, skating with a Wellsville partner in local pairs roller dancing competitions. She and her partner skated in occasional regional competitions and even advanced one year to a national competition in Denver.
Shortly after studying at the State University of New York at Fredonia, Barbara married the love of her life, David Louis Sheridan of Wellsville, on June 27, 1959. They spent the first few years of their marriage in Wellsville before moving to Cuba, where both would accept teaching jobs. She was hired in 1966 by the Cuba Central School District to teach speech therapy, but soon after found a home teaching second grade at Cuba Elementary School. In 1975, she was named an “Outstanding Elementary Teacher of America,” an honor that “meant a great deal to me,” she said, “not only because it was my job but because I loved it and worked hard at it.” She retired in 1995.
Barbara and David moved to their forever home — a plot of land in Friendship, NY, known affectionately as “Sheridan East” — in 1975. There, they raised their children (along with occasional horses, dogs, cats, poultry, livestock, and hundreds of live Christmas trees) on their home’s picturesque 88 acres. They called this idyllic setting home until David’s death in 2002. Shortly thereafter, Barbara sold the Friendship home and moved to Greenbush, VA, where she lived peacefully next door to her oldest daughter, Jeanne, for the rest of her days.
A sweet, kind, and generous soul, Barbara enjoyed good books, challenging jigsaw puzzles, a nightly TV game show “power hour” featuring back-to-back episodes of “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy,” and quiet walks near her home, during which she would remove litter from the sides of the roads — earning her the appreciation of nearby friends and neighbors in the process.
As a woman of faith, Barbara sought quiet ways to do Christ’s work. One of her favorite acts of service was to bake desserts for the Onancock Baptist Life Group and the Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital Cancer Center, both in Onancock, VA. Christ, she said, “has taken care of me through the years, and I could not get along without His love for me.”
Most of all, Barbara enjoyed the love and company of family (especially her children, grandchildren, and sisters) and the sustaining memories of her late husband. She called her marriage “the greatest honor in my life…He was my sweetheart all through high school, and I couldn’t imagine life without him. He was always there for me and supported me through thick and thin.”
Barbara is survived by her daughters, Jeanne Black (Rick) of Greenbush, VA, Stephanie Bell (Don) of Valatie, NY, and Jill Murdoch (Scott) of Alliance, OH; her son, Bill Sheridan (Alison) of St. Louis, MO; 11 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; her sisters, Charry Beth Walker of Brookville, OH, and Cheryl Grace Steen of Clayton, OH; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
She was predeceased by her dear husband, David, in 2002; and by her daughter, Nora Lynn Hopkins, in 2021.
A memorial service was held Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, at Onancock Baptist Church, with Pastor Andy Cobb officiating. A private service was be held for family on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, at Our Lady of Angels Cemetery in Cuba, NY.
Donations in Barbara’s memory may be made to the Onancock Baptist Church in Onancock, VA; to Samaritan’s Purse, a humanitarian aid organization that provides help to people in physical need; to Light House Ministries in Keller, VA, a transitional homeless shelter serving the Eastern Shore of Virginia; or to Compassion International, a child sponsorship and Christian humanitarian aid organization headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO.
