Sherwood "Woody" Garrison (Bell)

Sherwood “Woody” Garrison (nee Bell) passed away on August 20, 2026, in Charleston, SC at the age of 90. Born on January 19, 1936, to Johnnie and Sadie (nee Pegram) Bell in Vaughan, NC during a terrible blizzard, she went on to graduate from Littleton High School in 1954. After high school Woody moved to the Washington, DC area. She lived most of her adult life in the DC suburbs. She worked various jobs, her last being at Maryland Federal Bank. In 2020 she moved to the Charleston, SC area.

Woody loved painting, particularly on slate. Her subjects were always uplifting and her pieces are still treasured by her family. In the 80’s she developed an interest in family genealogy. She made countless trips to the U.S. Archives and various courthouses to gather information, specifically pertaining to her Pegram ancestry. Gardening was another one of Woody’s favorite pastimes. You could often find her weeding or pruning in the yard. She also enjoyed dining out with family and friends. “Let’s go out and get something to eat,” was a frequent request. Woody had a notorious sweet tooth, especially for chocolate; she could devour a sampler box in record time.

In addition to her parents, Woody was preceded in death by her beloved son, Charles David “Chucky” Garrison. She was also preceded in death by her bother, Adolphus (Kay) Bell. Her marriage to the late James Garrison ended in divorce. She is survived by her sisters, Elizabeth (the late Vince) Femia; and Flora (the late Millard) Odom; and her brother, John (the late Susan) Bell. She is also survived by her nieces and nephews, Randy Odom; Ann (Jim Littleton) Femia; Maria (David Cremer) Femia; Andrew (Sandy) Femia; Timothy (Angela) Bell; Philip (Deena) Bell; Jason (Melissa) Bell; and her 12 great-nieces and -nephews. To the nieces and nephews she will always be our quirky, unfiltered “Aunt Woody”. Many of her friends have predeceased her but she is survived by close family friend and neighbor, Bo Saylor.

She will be greatly missed.

At the family’s request there will be no service at this time