I was saddened the morning of Wednesday, September 24 to learn that a friend, Anne Sheriff, passed away the night before, after her brief battle with cancer. Her funeral, a graveside service, was held the afternoon of Saturday, September 27.

I was grateful to have had the opportunity to visit with her shortly before she passed. We shared laughs and memories and discussed the future rebuilding of Fort Prince George, a project which has been very important to Anne for a long time – back to the time when she was a teacher and taught her students about it. I’m sorry that she won’t see that project come to fruition. When I wrote a story about it a few months ago for The Pickens County Chronicle and interviewed her, Anne told me that she was so excited, so thrilled, about it, even though she might not be around to see it. It’s sad that she was diagnosed with cancer and her words became true.

Although Anne was not a South Carolina native, she cared deeply about the history of her late husband’s home county and his hometown of Central, which became her home county and hometown for so many years, and she was involved in so many ways to keep alive the history of Central and of Pickens County.

She and her husband did not have children, but she has left a legacy with such an impact and influence on so many people, from the students she influenced when she was a teacher, to the books that she wrote or co-wrote, to the legacy of the Faith Clayton Family Research Center (which she founded and where she served as the curator), and the many organizations with which she was involved, and the many people who respected her.

I knew her back when I was the Editor of The Pickens Sentinel. And, in 2004, Anne and also Beverly Cureton, for the Central Heritage Society, approached me about writing several articles about Central for Sandlapper magazine, which I did, in 2004 and 2005, including about the history of the town of Central, and about the Central History Museum, and about Freedom’s Hill Church (an abolitionist church and oldest Wesleyan meeting house in the South), and about the Central Community Center (historic former schoolhouse for black children), and about Collins Ole Towne (a recreated 1930’s era village), and about Heirlooms and Comforts (the state’s oldest quilt shop).

Anne and I have served together on the same committee since 2024. Anne and my mother have served together in several organizations, and Anne asked my mother to assist her in the Faith Clayton Room, which she did for several years. And 30 years ago, Anne served on a committee for the Pickens County Heritage book with my maternal grandmother.

Anne was involved with so many organizations, including her local chapter of the DAR and her local genealogical society chapter (where my grandmother was also a member). Anne was the curator of the Central History Museum. She was responsible for the historic depot in Central having been restored. The Sheriff National Guard Memorial Flag Plaza at SWU is named for Anne and her husband.

She was involved in the writing of several books about the history of Pickens County. One of the books, Liberty South Carolina 1876-1976 100 Years, she co-authored with Julia Woodson (another lady who was involved in several organizations and whom I came to know when I was Editor of The Pickens Sentinel). When she was a teacher, Anne published books with her students as the authors. She was involved with the cemetery survey books for Pickens, Oconee, and Anderson Counties. And there are many more.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for all that Anne has done for Pickens County.

She was a remarkable lady and will be very much missed.

I came across a photograph taken of Anne and me in 2011 at the Birchwood Center for Art and Folklife’s Book and Author Fair, held at the Table Rock State Park Lodge, where Anne and I sold copies of our books. The photo brought back a special memory, and, in it, she was smiling so big. That’s how I will remember her, always smiling.