Readers of Legal Currents and other publications of Ward and Smith, P.A. may have noticed that for many years the attribution “Cheryl A. Marteney and William E. Martin, Editors” has appeared on each front page. It is my sad duty to report to our readers that on Friday, June 19, the Ward and Smith family lost Cheryl, who was truly cherished by each member of the firm and who possessed a brilliant and meticulous mind, to a long and courageous fight against cancer.
I am particularly saddened by Cheryl’s passing because she and I worked closely together virtually every week for many years on one publication or another. In fact, we worked so much together that I have come to the conclusion after hearing all the lovely, heartfelt tributes to Cheryl, that I was the only one of our number who could make her mad; a feat I managed to accomplish on a regular basis because Cheryl was a master (and stubborn) grammarian who, I am convinced, had committed each section of The Gregg Reference Manual to memory. I frequently referred to her as “The Comma Queen,” a title she seemed to get a kick out of (or, as I can see her editing even now: “out of which she seemed to get a kick”).
While I have lost a dear friend in Cheryl, please join me in welcoming, with this edition, our new co-editor, Rendi Mann-Stadt, to whom I have already had a Gregg delivered. She has big shoes to fill.
For my former co-editor, colleague, and friend Cheryl, I want to close this note with the only finish I think one editor can give to another: “-30-“
Bill Martin
All of us at Ward and Smith, P.A. are deeply saddened by the passing of Cheryl A. Marteney. A devoted member of the law firm for more than 20 years, Cheryl will be missed dearly. We share her obituary, words that she lived by, and a brief story about her beautiful heart at www.wardandsmith.com/news/ward-and-smith-pa-honors-the-loss-of-cheryl-a-marteney.
