It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Cheryl Regine Wiley Kimmel, age 66, who passed away at her home, surrounded by family, Thursday, October 27, 2023. Memorial services will be held Saturday, November 4, 2023, at 2:00 P.M. in Trinity Episcopal Church in Cochran. The family will greet friends from 1:00 P.M. until time for the service Saturday at Trinity Episcopal Church.
Regine was preceded in death by her husband Richard Dean Kimmel, and her parents Fred G. and Edwina Fiveash Wiley. Regine was a member of the Marianna High School Class of 1975. She graduated from Troy State University in 1979 with a degree in Music Education. She taught in Waycross and Valdosta, Georgia, and finished her teaching career with a 24-year stint as band director at Bleckley County Middle School. Regine and her husband Rick worked together to build an outstanding band program of which Bleckley County could truly be proud. Regine was an accomplished flutist and piccoloist who had the privilege of playing under renowned directors such as Dr. William Revelli and Sir Francis Vivian Dunn, who called her “a bloody good piccolo player”. Following her retirement from teaching, she worked for Oleen Pinnacle as a consultant in software implementation and instruction in the medical field. Health issues and a six-year battle with cancer forced her retirement. Regine loved her students and strove for perfection in everything she did. She will be remembered as a wonderful wife, mother, sister, daughter, teacher, and friend by all who knew her. Regine was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Cochran.
She is survived by her son, Richard Daniel Kimmel of Athens, Georgia; her sister Sonya Gayle Wiley of Marianna, Florida; her brother, Frederick E. “Fred” Wiley (Nina) of Marianna, Florida and her niece, Lauren Wiley Gabriel (Nick) of Pensacola, Florida.
Flowers are welcomed as an expression of sympathy. Memorial contributions may be sent to The Landon Padgett Memorial Fund. Landon was an outstanding music student of whom Regine and Rick were very proud. Landon’s memorial fund, among many other things, supports educational opportunities for Bleckley County students. https://www.landonpadgett.org/
