| Graduation Year | Class of 1971 |
| Date of Birth | Sep 27, 1953 |
| Date of Passing | Sep 11, 2023 |
| About | Cheryl Godwin Grymes passed away on September 11, 2023 after a battle with Alzheimer's and Lewy Body dementia. Cheryl was born on September 27, 1953 in Jacksonville, Florida to Helen and Russ Godwin. She grew up in Jacksonville and graduated from Wolfson High School and the University of North Florida. Cheryl was an active and proud member of the community with a passion for public education and a belief that every child deserved a top-quality public education experience. She first got involved as a PTA volunteer at her daughters' schools and became president of the Duval County Council of PTAs in 1992. She was elected to the Duval County School Board in November of 1992, then served 4 terms (representing District 3 from 1992-2000 and District 1 from 2012-2020). While on the School Board, she served as chair twice and did not shy away from negotiating solutions to tough issues, tackling desegregation, prayer at school graduation, building new schools, and sex education, among others, in her school board tenures. She also served as the Executive Director of the Alliance for World Class Education from 2001-2008 and the Vice President of Fund Development for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida from 2010-2017. She was appointed by the Florida Senate to serve as a member of the Education Practices Commission and was a Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida Community Coach, supporting and mentoring other nonprofit executives in Northeast Florida. Her community service included serving on the boards of YMCA, Jacksonville Symphony, JASMYN, Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, JCCI, and Youth Crisis Center, among others. She served as chair of the Joint Planning Committee between the school system and the city of Jacksonville. She is an alumna of Leadership Jacksonville (1994). Among her accolades were the Jacksonville Business Journal's Woman of Influence, Omni Hotel's "Mother of the Year", and the National Council of Jewish Women's Woman in Power. She was also a Big Sister to Tamaria and maintained that relationship until her death - 16 years in total. Her proudest achievements were her children. She is survived by her daughters, Leah Donelan McDermott (Joshua), Jessica Graber (Chad), Stephanie Donelan, and Rachel Goldstein (Jeff), as well as her stepsons, James Grymes (Paige) and Warren Grymes III. She had 8 grandchildren and one on the way. She is also survived by Stephen Donelan and other beloved family members. She is preceded in death by her parents, Russ and Helen Godwin, her brother Russell, and Warren Grymes, Jr. |
