Obituaries Dec. 17, 2025
Billy Leon Blackwell
CHESTERFIELD — Mr. Billy Leon Blackwell, age 77, passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning, December 9, 2025 at his home. Funeral Services were held at 1:00 PM on Saturday, December 13, 2025 in the chapel of Miller-Rivers-Caulder Funeral Home by Pastor Tracy Gooding with burial following in the Bay Springs Baptist Church Cemetery. The family greeted friends from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM on Saturday, prior to the service at the funeral home.
Born on December 4, 1948, in Florence, SC the son of the late David and Mary Alice Gainey Blackwell. Mr. Blackwell was an Army veteran who admirably served his country in Vietnam. He also served in Germany and at Fort Jackson. Following his military service, Mr. Blackwell found his passion for caring for others through his career in nursing. Even after retirement, he spent much of his time being a caretaker in his community. Mr. Blackwell took pride in keeping his yard in tip top shape. He especially enjoyed working with his flowers. Most of all, Mr. Blackwell loved his family and he cherished time spent with his loved ones.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Blackwell was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy Walker; and his brother, Donald Blackwell.
Survivors include his brother, David Blackwell of Charleston, SC; nieces and nephews, David Kenneth Blackwell, Jr., Donnie Blackwell, Vincent Scott Blackwell, Angela Blackwell Peay, William Jason Blackwell, Christy Blackwell Snapp, Mary Allison Blackwell; numerous grand nieces and grand nephews; numerous great-grand nieces and great-grand nephews; sister, Barbara Blackwell; cousins, Ghandi Blackwell, Kay Sellers, Jimmy Sellers, and Bonnie Bell Blackwell.
Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, www.stjude.org/donate.
Miller-Rivers-Caulder Funeral Home (www.mrcfuneralhome.com) of Chesterfield, SC is serving the Blackwell family.
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Louise Overton Hendley
CHERAW — Louise Overton Hendley “Miss Lou” passed away on November 20, 2025. She was born in Florence, SC, on October 6, 1941, the daughter of the late Nathan Frank Overton and Louise Tate Overton. She grew up in Cheraw, SC, attending The Little Red School House, and was a lifelong member of St. David’s Episcopal Church.
Lou attended Cheraw High School, where she met the love of her life, Thomas (Tom) Hendley. After high school, she attended Columbia College and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian College.
Following college, she and Tom were married and spent their early years of marriage with the Navy, living in several locations along the East Coast. When their time with the navy ended, the family eventually settled in Cheraw, SC.
Lou became known as “Miss Lou” after becoming a beloved teacher and music teacher at St. David’s Preschool. She began teaching at St. David’s Episcopal in 1976 and devoted forty-five years to the school. “Miss Lou” rarely went anywhere in Cheraw without running into one of her many former students.
At St. David’s Church, she served more than forty years on the Altar Guild and spent many years singing in the choir.
Lou loved traveling to Bermuda and Europe, and she found joy in cooking, gardening, and hosting family holidays. She especially adored her maiden hair ferns.
Lou was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, her parents, and her sister, Nancy Overton Clover.
She is survived by her sons, Thomas M. Hendley III of Mount Pleasant, SC, and Franklin O. Hendley of Cheraw, SC; and by her daughter, Corry L. Hendley of Cheraw, SC. She is also survived by her grandchildren Katherine Hendley of Mount Pleasant, SC, Nathan Hendley of Burlington, VT, and Viva and Alice Lang of Cheraw, SC.
A joint memorial service for Mr. and Mrs. Hendley will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2026 at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Cheraw, SC. A graveside service will follow at Old St. David’s Cemetery in Cheraw.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to long-term caregivers Jennie Teal and Beth Newsome for their love and support over the past year. They have been a tremendous comfort to us all.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. David’s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 84, Cheraw, SC 29520, or the St. David’s Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 1196, Cheraw, SC 29520.
Kiser Funeral Home has been entrusted to serve the Hendley family in their time of grief.
Online condolences may be made at www.kiserfuneralhome.com.
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Thomas Monroe Hendley, Jr.
CHERAW — Thomas (Tom) M. Hendley Jr. passed away peacefully November 11, 2025. He was born in Concord, North Carolina on December 7, 1940, the son of the late Thomas M. Hendley Sr. and Ethel Boswell Hendley. He moved frequently in his youth due to his father’s job supporting the war effort during World War II.
During high school, Tom moved to Cheraw where he enjoyed playing football, basketball, and baseball. The mention of his name often led to people saying how they remembered the homerun he hit on top of the old high school building. He then attended the University of South Carolina on a U.S. Navy ROTC scholarship and played centerfield as a walk-on with the baseball team.
Post college he trained as a naval aviator; he subsequently trained as a helicopter pilot. He was assigned to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 3 (HS-3 “Tridents”), Naval Air Station Norfolk, VA, where he would deploy and fly from assorted aircraft carriers. He participated as one of the helicopter pilots recovering astronauts from the Gemini Space Program Missions that splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean. While assigned to the Atlantic fleet he participated in multiple antisubmarine warfare missions in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Tom’s last tour in the Navy was as a flight trainer at NAS Pensacola.
It was In high school where he met the love of his life Louise (Lou) Overton and subsequently married her in December 1963 at the beginning of his active-duty service in the U.S. Navy. As his terrible disease slowly consumed his once sharp mind, his one constant was his desire to be by Lou’s side.
After the Navy, he worked for Celanese for four years before the family moved back to Cheraw. He began working as an internal accountant for a private business for a time. Then in 1985 with three children he managed to study for and pass the Certified Public Accountant Exam to become a CPA and continued working as a CPA until his retirement at age 70. He was also a huge Gamecock fan attending all home games for many years, and like every loyal Gamecock fan always said, “wait until next year.” He was also an avid birdwatcher.
He is preceded in death by his parents, and two brothers James Thad Hendley, Sr. and Jerry Boswell Hendley.
He is survived by his wife of the home, his sons Thomas M. Hendley, III of Mount Pleasant, SC and Franklin O. Hendley of Cheraw, SC and by a daughter Corry L. Hendley of Cheraw, SC. He is also survived by grandchildren Katherine Hendley of Mount Pleasant, SC, Nathan Hendley of Burlington, VT, Viva and Alice Lang of Cheraw, SC.
A joint memorial service for Mr. and Mrs. Hendley will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2026 at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Cheraw, SC. A graveside service will follow at Old St. David’s Cemetery in Cheraw.
The family would like to thank our long-term caregivers Jennie Teal and Beth Newsome for their love and support over this last year. They have been of great comfort to us all.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. David’s Episcopal Church. P.O. Box 68, Cheraw, SC 29520 or the St. David’s Cemetery Association P.O. Box 1196, Cheraw, SC 29520.
Kiser Funeral Home has been entrusted to serve the Hendley family in their time of grief.
Online condolences may be made at www.kiserfuneralhome.com.
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Joyce Katherine Hyde
CHERAW — Joyce Katherine Hyde, 85, passed away on Friday, December 12, 2025. Born February 25, 2025, in Port Crane, NY, she was the daughter of the late Wallace and Margaret Dumas Smith.
Joyce was known for her warmth, kindness, and unwavering love as a mother and friend. A dedicated home health aide, she devoted many years to caring for others, often welcoming individuals into her own home. Her compassion extended beyond humans; she had a deep affection for children and animals, particularly cats and squirrels.
Along with her parents, listed above, Joyce was preceded in death by her son, Russell “Russ” Leonard and brothers, Bud Smith and Ben Smith.
She leaves behind to cherish her memories, sons, David Leonard and Scott Leonard; daughters, Susan Rieber (Robert), Jo-Ann Leonard, and Sharon Leonard; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A graveside funeral service will be held on Thursday, December 18, 2025, at St. David’s Cemetery in Cheraw, SC. The family will receive friends following the service at the cemetery.
The family would like to thank Joyce’s granddaughter, Olivia, for her love and special care given in the past few years.
Kiser Funeral Home has been entrusted to serve Mrs. Joyce’s family in their time of grief.
Online condolences may be made at www.kiserfuneralhome.com.