CULLMAN, Ala. – In Robert Tidwell Sr.’s stories, a family dinner, a visit from a great-grandchild or a conversation with an old friend could become something worth sharing with the whole town.
Through his “Funny Things from Yesterday” columns in The Cullman Tribune, Tidwell wrote about the people closest to him and the Cullman he remembered. His subjects included childhood adventures, life with his wife Rudene, his time on the city council and friendships formed thousands of miles from home.
Tidwell died Sunday afternoon, Oct. 4, 2026, on his 92nd birthday, according to Friends of Frankweiler, which said his family notified the organization of his death. The group said he died around 2:30 p.m. following a lengthy decline in his health.
“Robert Tidwell was a wonderful person and a true southern gentleman,” Gaylyn Hawkins said in a comment on the organization’s announcement.
On The Tribune’s announcement, Janice Cook offered another remembrance.
“He was a kind and gentle man,” Cook said.
Readers of Tidwell’s columns came to know Rudene, whom he often called Granny, and the younger generations whose visits supplied him with stories.
He wrote about their daughter Robin and son Robert Jr., grandchildren and great-grandchildren, preserving conversations and small family moments alongside memories of earlier years.
In an October 2020 birthday column, he described preparing a meal with Rudene, relatives arriving for the celebration and children heading outside to play kickball.
A great-grandchild helped open presents. Family members wanted him to retire a favorite old jacket from his Auburn days, but he was reluctant to part with it.
“We have always enjoyed our family,” Tidwell wrote.
That attachment was especially clear in his writing during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Sunday meals he and Rudene had hosted for years were interrupted.
In a Jan. 31, 2021, column, he described the surprise of coming inside from the garage to find his twin great-grandsons visiting. They ate applesauce, tried jellybeans and played with a book that made the sound of a flushing toilet.
“We love those little rascals and had a wonderful visit with them,” he wrote.
The same column moved from the twins to a drive along the old Highway 31, where the road brought back memories of hauling poultry to Indiana and Illinois as an 18-year-old truck driver.
An afternoon with family and a familiar highway could both give him a reason to look back.
The Tribune’s online archive preserves his columns dating to at least Sept. 15, 2019, with additional entries through Jan. 31, 2021.
His column subjects ranged from nickel movies at The Lyric Theatre and childhood sandwich trades to hearing problems, pets and family gatherings.
He also recalled studying pharmacy at Alabama Polytechnic Institute, later renamed Auburn University, in a December 2020 tribute to a longtime friend named Don.
Public service supplied stories, too. In September 2019, Tidwell recalled traveling with a Cullman delegation to a National League of Cities meeting in Washington.
In January 2021, he wrote about a new city fire truck and a conversation with Fire Chief Walker.
His memories gave readers a view of local life through the people, places and conversations he remembered.
Tidwell’s connection to Cullman extended to its sister city, Frankweiler, Germany.
Friends of Frankweiler said Sunday that Robert and Rudene were among the club’s founding members. An AlabamaGermany Partnership newsletter identified Robert as a past president and charter member.
In his account published in the partnership’s December 2018 newsletter, Tidwell recalled traveling to Frankweiler in 1987 with Rudene, Mayor Jack Sides and Sides’ wife Ruth for the sister-city twinning. Tidwell was serving on the Cullman City Council at the time.
Their hosts, Richard and Hannalore Nerding, became recurring hosts on later sister-city visits. Robert and Rudene also became close friends with Basil and Ingrid Holmes, traveling with them and welcoming them to the United States.
Tidwell recalled being with the Holmeses in Berlin when the wall came down and visiting Ingrid’s relatives in East Berlin.
In a September 2019 Tribune column following Basil’s death, he remembered how a visit to Cullman had helped deepen their friendship. After returning from a cross-country bus trip, Basil and Ingrid stayed with the Tidwells while awaiting their flight home.
“From that day on we were very good friends,” Tidwell wrote.
Those relationships continued over decades. In May 2024, Friends of Frankweiler President Ernest Hauk told The Tribune that visiting German club members had contacted Robert and Rudene to help plan their trip to Cullman.
On Sunday, Drew Green recalled his own travels with Tidwell.
“Many fond memories of Mr. Tidwell. Especially our time together in Germany,” Green said in a comment on the Friends of Frankweiler announcement.
The organization’s announcement and The Tribune’s post drew condolences and prayers for Rudene and the Tidwell family.
“He was such a fine gentleman and will be greatly missed,” Dorothy Stansell Fowler said on the Friends of Frankweiler post.
“Our prayers and love to the Tidwell family!” Judy Boike said on The Tribune’s post.
Tidwell’s columns remain part of the newspaper’s record: stories of children growing up, friends growing older and a family gathering around the table. In them, readers can still find his humor and the affection he expressed for the people in his life.
Funeral arrangements had not been announced as of Sunday evening, Oct. 4, according to Friends of Frankweiler.
According to Tidwell’s obituary:
“Robert is survived by his wife of almost 70 years, Rudene Jean Tidwell; daughter, Robin (Danny) Skipper; son, Robert Jr. (Glenda) Tidwell; grandchildren Leanna (Heath) Bedard, Tyler (Dana) Skipper, Trey (Erin) Tidwell, Will (Jennifer) Tidwell, and Emmalee (boyfriend Wale Oduru) Tidwell. Great grandchildren, Emma Grace and Anna Beth Tidwell, Crosby, Alder, and Posey Skipper, Rhett and Vaughn Bedard, and Bennett Lee Tidwell (due in January 2027).
“We want to express sincere appreciation to Tonya Hipp, who was a caregiver to Robert for two years, Southern Care New Beacon Hospice for three years, and the staff on Moody Hall at Hanceville Nursing Home for their compassionate care of Robert.
“Visitation will be held at Moss Service Funeral Home from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7, 2026. A celebration of life service will follow at 1 p.m. A committal service will follow at Cullman City Cemetery.”
