Eugene Sexton Tidwell
September 30, 1922 - June 17, 1976
Winslow, Arizona

"On a cool evening September 30, 1922, a baby boy entered the lives of John and Francis Tidwell. Proud as they were to have a new baby after the loss of their first one, the mother was a little dissapointed in his looks. 'What an ugly baby,' was her first remark. He was given the name Eugene Sexton after his father, John Sexton. As Eugene grew, his mother realized he was changing into a handsome little boy. A grandmother (his father's mother) thought there was no other boy like him and as long as she lived he was an angel in her eyes and could do no wrong.

As time went by and he became large enough to hold a pencil, he started making figures that soon became pictures.

When he started school he was drawing better than he could talk - his first grade teacher would come to the house to give him speech lessons. He was always such a neat person, always seeing that his clothes were neatly ironed and always wearing a white shirt and keeping his hair combed, never wearing a hat to mess it up.

Eugene was always a doer. Anything he decided to do he could do. As a young boy he was always making something - from kites to huts for his friends to meet in. Always using his artistic ability in all that he did.

When Eugene entered high school, his teachers found out about his talents and kept him busy doing artwork for them plus being art editor for the Hi-Life (a high school publication) during his high school years."

"After he finished high school, he worked in the Charleston navy yard for about a year and then joined the Army Air Force, in which he served until 1947 when the air force became an independent branch. He then went in the air force. He served for 25 years. During this time he also used his artistic talents to paint stars, numbers, emblems and logos on Army planes.

After retiring from the Army, he aquired a Practical Nurses Diploma and in this field of work he also used his artistic ability painting murals on the walls of the children's ward of the hospital.

Even though he was never a commercial artist by trade he was well known for his artistic ability. He was always a proud person and proud of all that he accomplished.

He was employed as a nurse in Tuscon, Arizona when he came to his death by drowning on June 17, 1976." - Mary Louise (sister)

Loving Survivors Include:
 (wife) Edna, of 1009 Desmond Ave., Winslow, Arizona
(stepdaughter) Edna L. Murphpy, of Las Vegas
(stepson) Charles H. Merchant, of Clarksville, Ind.
16 stepgrandchildren
1 stepgrandchild
(mother) Frances Tidwell, of Union (died 12/26/81)
(two brothers) John Elward, of Columbia,SC
Gladney,of Union,SC (died 3/17/84)
(six sisters) F.Arline Wilson, of Union,SC
Mary L.Tidwell, of Union,SC
C.Doris Loyd, of Union,SC
M.Athalee Dickerson, of Columbia,SC
J.Marceda Tidwell, of Union,SC
J.Marcella Shirey,of Columbia,SC
(Mable Elizabeth was born 7/3/21 and died 9/3/21 in Chester,SC)

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