Cheryl Ann Anderson

Cheryl Ann Anderson McLaughlin, RPh, passed away early Sunday morning, August 2, 2026, comforted by her family in Columbia, South Carolina, succumbing to her two-year battle with cancer. Born in Newton Falls, Ohio on October 21, 1959, she was the beloved and treasured daughter of Thomas L. ‘Big Tom’ Anderson (d.2024) and Mary Katherine ‘Kay’ Anderson (Young) (d. 2025).

Cheryl moved to Columbia as a child and attended elementary school at St. Joseph’s, high school at Cardinal Newman and was a proud Gamecock, attending the University of South Carolina, graduating in 1981 with her B.S. in Pharmacy from the SC College of Pharmacy. She remained forever entwined with her schools and their communities in addition to being a lifelong member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

Cheryl enjoyed an extensive and successful career in pharmacy healthcare. After a brief time in the retail pharmacy sector, Cheryl co-owned and operated their family medical practice for 13 years with John Woodward, M.D., where she was a pioneer for integrating a pharmacist within a primary care practice. She then began her 20-year South Carolina State Government career as the first female Administrator/Chief Drug Inspector for the SC Board of Pharmacy in 1996. In 2007, while at SC Department of Health and Environmental Control, she helped create the State’s Prescription Monitoring Program known as SCRIPTS. She later served as South Carolina’s Medication Safety Pharmacist with the Carolinas Center of Medical Excellence. Cheryl completed her state career in a second return to South Carolina Medicaid as the Director of Pharmacy Services. She retired from state government in January 2025. After retiring, Cheryl continued to be active in the industry as a Market Access Medicaid Consultant. Her leadership and expertise in these roles not only helped her to continue to expand her influence across a broad spectrum in her profession, but created strong relationships with her colleagues and friends that is reflected in the fact that ‘everyone knows and loves Cheryl’!

Cheryl was an active, life-time member of the SC Pharmacy Association (SCPhA) and recently completed serving her second term as Immediate-Past President, and she served for over 10 years with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) as a certified regulatory inspector. She considered the Association her extended family and developed countless friendships with those who meant so much to her. She was also embraced by those in other organizations in the field and these relationships became such a large part of Cheryl’s drive and passion for her profession. Building friendships in order to further the care of patients was her true calling.

Her accomplishments were numerous and she earned several notable recognitions for her service and impact on her profession; these include: the 2024 induction into the Cardinal Newman High School Alumni Hall of Fame, recipient of the 2018 SCPhA SC Generation Rx Award of Excellence, the Governor’s Certificate of Appreciation for her work with SCHHS, and the award recently received and dearest to her, The Ralph M. Wilkie Distinguished Lifetime Service Award. In the 150-year history of the SCPhA, Cheryl is only the sixth recipient. As proud of her accomplishments as she was, Cheryl always touted that it was never just an individual effort but came with the collaboration and expertise of the teams with whom she worked over the years.

Cheryl loved her time spent in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, her favorite being getaways with her husband Sean to the Cozy Cabin in Glenville, NC for her birthday week! Cheryl also loved to enjoy traveling across the country, visiting family in Northern California and Tampa, Florida, and seeking out unique and wonderful dining experiences everywhere she went. (Cheryl was a marvelous cook and was quite proud of being a two-time champion in SCPhA’s Chili Cookoff!)

Cheryl met Sean in 2009 at the Greek Festival and embraced a blended family of four adult children: her dear son, Tom Woodward, who lives in Columbia, Conor McLaughlin (Paige) of Sacramento, CA, Kylie McLaughlin who also resides in Sacramento, and Will McLaughlin (Lauren) of Greenville, SC. Cheryl and Sean enjoy being proud grandparents of Conor’s and Paige’s children, Tatum and Quinn, and Cheryl was comforted daily by her rescue Llaso Apso, Annie (aka ‘Beautiful’). In addition to being cherished by her husband Sean McLaughlin and the children mentioned, she leaves behind her ‘sister from another mister’, Anna Hatfield, Atlanta, GA, close cousins Pat Orman (Judy) of Irmo, SC; Lynn White (Lee) of Sea Island, GA; Laurel Watts (Peter) of Beaufort, NC; Holly Smallwood (Larry) of Atlanta, GA; and Suzanne Deery (Bob) of Atlanta, GA. Additionally, Cheryl’s siblings in-law, Brendan McLaughlin (Sandy) and Mary Terbush (Larry) will continue to remember her warmth, generosity and kindness.

The family would like to express its sincerest gratitude to the medical staffs of SC Oncological Associates and Levine Cancer Institute for their efforts to heal Cheryl and to Pruitt Health Hospice for their loving attention.

A service with mass and committal will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church on Devine St., Columbia, on Saturday, August 15 at 11:30 am. Arrangements are being managed by Dunbar Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cardinal Newman Fund.