Franklin - Beth Howell Cheatham, 73, died on June 13, 2026 after a lengthy battle with frontotemporal dementia.  Beth was born on August 10, 1952 in Lima, Ohio to James S. and Shirley J. Howell.  She spent most of her youth in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Wayne, New Jersey before venturing south to attend Elon College (now Elon University) in North Carolina.  She met her husband, Barry, while there and they wed in August of 1972.

Before her illness, Beth was an avid golfer and doting wife, mother, and grandmother.  The family moved many times before settling in Franklin in 1990.  She took great pride in this community – helping many residents as a debt management counselor, serving as an appointee to the Blackwater Regional Library Board, and being the ever-present band mom, softball mom, and volleyball mom while her daughters attended the local schools.  She was also well-known for spreading joy around Franklin by visiting residents at The Village and East Pavilion, working with students at SP Morton school, and participating in other community events with Baxter, who was a registered therapy dog.

She is preceded in death by her parents.  She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Barry; two daughters, Amy and Sarah (Sean); and three grandchildren, Christopher (Hanna), Reagan, and Katherine.  The family also wants to acknowledge her long-devoted primary caregivers – Dora Hill and Gloria Person; the other caregivers who provided invaluable and unwavering support as her illness progressed, including Vonda Tynes and Betsy Bradshaw; and her hospice nurse, Angie Smith.

A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Jude Catholic Church in Franklin, Virginia on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at 11:00am. The inurnment will be a private family event at a later date.

The family requests those who wish to express sympathy consider making a donation to St. Jude Catholic Church in Franklin, Virginia; the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (www.theaftd.org); or their favorite local charity in memory of Beth.

www.wrightfuneralhome.org