Ilene Bishop Tidwell, 83, of Chula died Tuesday, December 1, 2009, at Tift Regional Medical Center. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, 2009, at Liberty Baptist Church. Rev. Gary Cadwell, Rev. Gerald Purvis and Rev. Steve Tucker will officiate with burial to follow in Liberty Baptist Church Cemetery. Jim Graham, Tony Dixon, Steve Cadwell, Mark Dean, Ricky Dean and Jonathan Graham will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be the Deacons of Liberty Baptist Church and members of her Sunday School class at Liberty Baptist Church. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, December 2, 2009, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals. The body will be placed in the church one hour prior to the service.
Mrs. Tidwell was born on December 18, 1925 in Irwin County and was the daughter of William M. Bishop and Jeania Arnold Bishop, both deceased. She was also preceded in death by her husband, George Leborn "Pete" Tidwell, who died in 2000; eight brothers; and two sisters. She was a retired bookkeeper and a member of Liberty Baptist Church. She was the WMU Director for the Mell Baptist Association for 29 years.
Mrs. Tidwell is survived by one son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Marie Tidwell of Tifton; one daughter and son-in-law, Lutrelle and Ray Greene of Tifton; three grandchildren and their spouses, Dee Dee Greene, Candy and Mark Rigdon abd Bobby "Roho" and Melissa Bennett; seven great grandchildren, Hunter, Tanner and Savannah Ray, Eddie and Jaclyn Bennett, Julie Bennett and Cole and Heather Rigdon; and one great-great grandchild, Lily Grace Bennett.