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By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

PELHAM – Former Pelham City Councilwoman Dr. Teresa Nichols Riddle died Tuesday, March 19 following the onset of an illness.

Riddle, who held the distinction of being one of only two women to serve as president of the Pelham City Council, was first elected to the Council in 2008 and served until 2012 when Rick Hayes was elected to fill the position of Pelham City Council Place 1.

A retired educator, Riddle served in roles that included an education specialist in Montgomery Public Schools, chief academic officer for the Clayton College of Natural Health and as president of Nichols Education Services, Inc. where she worked with schools and school systems to “assess, analyze and design instructional responses to learning difficulties, especially in the area of reading.”

She married her husband Larry Riddle in 2012 and remained an active member of the Pelham community following her time on the Council.

Teresa and her husband were regular volunteers with the Pelham Gardening Club and she also attended a council meeting this past fall to voice her support toward Pelham becoming a Bee City.

Riddle was among the list of women honored at the start of this week, on Monday, March 18, when the city of Pelham passed a resolution and read a proclamation from Mayor Gary Waters that declared the month of March as one recognizing all past elected women of Pelham.

With Riddle often cited in conversation during the event and her influence in the city well-remembered, all former city councilwomen in Pelham were thanked and celebrated for their work and years of service, dedication and commitment to the city.

Speaking at the onset of the event, current Council President Maurice Mercer, who had been made aware of Riddle’s worsening condition in recent days, asked those in the audience for prayers on Riddle’s behalf.

Following the announcement of her passing, Mercer commented on the relationship he had developed with the former councilwoman in the year’s since their first introduction.

“I’m saddened to learn about the passing of Teresa Nichols Riddle,” Mercer said. “I met her on the campaign trail in 2008. She was elected that year and I was not. But that didn’t stop us from becoming friends. She and I were also class mates in the Leadership Shelby Class of 2012. May she rest in peace.”

Funeral services for Riddle are currently pending as of the time of writing. Final care has been entrusted to Selma Funeral Home of Valley Grande, Alabama.