The Rev. William E. Maddox III, a U.S. Army chaplain for 21 years, died December 8 at 79. He was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and was a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Philadelphia Divinity School. He pursued further studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University.
He was ordained as deacon and priest in 1970 and served churches in Chester, Virginia; Philadelphia; Brooklyn, New York; Dayton, Ohio; Jacksonville, Florida; and Durham, N.C.
He was inducted as an active-duty chaplain in the U.S. Army in 1979, rising to the rank of Major and serving in Monterey, California; Stuttgart, Germany; and Panama City, Panama.
He is survived by Cleopatra Crawley Maddox, his wife of 47 years, and their son, William E. Maddox IV.
David Graylan Sherwood, who served as director of Nashotah House Theological Seminary’s Frances Donaldson Library and as associate professor of ascetical theology for more than 20 years, died February 16 at 64.
He was born in Borger, Texas, and was an alumnus of Baylor University, the University of Texas, and Nashotah House, where he earned a master’s degree cum laude in theological studies and a Doctor of Ministry. Before working at Nashotah House, he served for 12 years at the Reinert Library of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.
He is survived by his parents, a brother, his best friend, 10 nieces and nephews, and three godchildren.
“In addition to leaving an indelible mark on the France Donaldson Library, Dr. Sherwood influenced generations of students through his teaching, mentorship, and ministry of spiritual direction,” wrote Dr. Lauren Whitnah, dean of Nashotah House. “He will be remembered especially for the way he faithfully embodied the ascetical practices he taught.”
Thomas Sumter Tisdale Jr., a decades-long attorney and longtime chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, died January 28 at 85. He was a native of Florence, South Carolina, and a graduate of the University of the South and the University of South Carolina’s law school. He practiced law in Charleston for 60 years after his admission to the state bar in 1964.
He was admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He served as assistant solicitor in the Ninth Circuit and later as a municipal judge in Charleston. His military service included time with the South Carolina Army National Guard and the U.S. Navy JAG Corps as a Lieutenant Commander.
Tisdale also was a passionate historian, author, and playwright/producer about South Carolina history, church history, and social struggle. His works included the books A Lady of the High Hills: Natalie Delage Sumter, Carolina Sunrise, and a play, Truth in Cold Blood, about the 1928 murder of Bishop William Alexander Guerry by a priest.
He is survived by his wife, Nina Sundby Tisdale; two sons; a stepdaughter; and six grandchildren.
Other Deaths
The Rev. Dr. Jackson P. Hershbell, January 8
Douglas LeBlanc is the Associate Editor for Book Reviews and writes about Christianity and culture. He and his wife, Monica, attend St. John’s Parish Church on Johns Island, South Carolina.
