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<em>Deidre Sisson Etheridge</em> was born in Fair Lawn, NJ, the youngest of eight children. Deidre’s father, Graham Lansford Sisson, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, fought in the Korean War, and rose to captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. He instilled a deep sense of duty and patriotism in Deidre. Deidre’s mother, Janis Petering Sisson, raised a devout Catholic family and served as a lector and longtime choir member. After living in Ohio and Georgia, the family moved to Sheffield, AL when Deidre was eight. Tagging along with her older siblings, Deidre volunteered at Our Lady of the Shoals Catholic Church. She participated in the debutante program and graduated as Sheffield High School class valedictorian in 1988.</p>
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Deidre was intent on living up to her family’s expectations. Her older twin brothers, Graham and Emry, selected for admission to West Point, suffered a car wreck shortly before their report day. Only Emry arrived as scheduled and graduated in 1986. Deidre was driven to excel, both to live up to the standard set by one twin and to make up for the opportunity lost to the other.</p>
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Deidre entered West Point and the Company C-1 Crusaders as a grinning 18 year old with a smooth Southern drawl. She spoke about her family often and was proud of her roots. She sang along to “Sweet Home Alabama” with the same passion that she sang “America the Beautiful.” Deidre had that elusive quality of charm and a great sense of humor. She could make the best of any situation. One hot summer day during Beast Barracks, at lunch in the Mess Hall, Deidre was scooping ice cream and accidently sent a scoop flying across the table. After the raucous upperclassman laughter subsided, it was decided that whenever Deidre was the designated ice cream scooper, the other plebes had to yell “Incoming, Incoming, INCOMING!” while she performed her duties.</p>
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Deidre was smart and organized and earned great grades. She had a level of grit and determination that we really came to appreciate. Due to a childhood leg injury that did not heal properly, Deidre had difficulty with running. To compensate, she logged hours and hours of distance running and could outrun anyone up a hill. Deidre played on the Women’s Lacrosse Team and was an aerobics enthusiast who could joyfully “grapevine” and “monkey” the rest of us into the ground.</p>
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Deidre was a ton of fun to be around on those rare hours and weekends we had off. We spent relaxing hours among friends sunbathing down at the river courts or setting off on tourism adventures in New York City and beyond.</p>
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During the class-wide “scramble” prior to cow year, Deidre shifted to the Company G-3 Gophers, where she made more lifelong friends and continued to excel. Deidre contributed to several cadet organizations, serving as president of the Catholic Folk Choir during cow and firstie years. At graduation, Deidre was awarded the Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Highest Grade Point Average within the Leadership and Behavioral Science Department. The West Point Rotary Club presented Deidre with the “Graduating Cadet Who Most Exemplifies Service Above Self” Award. Deidre earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and was commissioned a second lieutenant on May 30, 1992.</p>
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Following graduation Deidre entered the Signal Corps and attended the Signal Officer Basic Course at Fort Gordon, GA. She was subsequently assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, NC. Deidre served as a signal platoon leader and later as a battalion adjutant general in the 35th Signal Brigade. Upon promotion to captain, Deidre transitioned to the 18th Aviation Brigade, serving as brigade communications officer. Dedicated to the unit missions and the welfare of her soldiers, Deidre worked extra hours, often on weekends, to complete every action to the highest standard. Despite her hectic schedule Deidre always showed up for mass and made time for her friends. She could liven up any situation, including late night jump operations, with her sparkling laugh and smile.</p>
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After honorably serving out her commitment, Deidre transitioned from the military and began work at BellSouth in Atlanta, GA in 1997. She earned a number of promotions and became the Director, Call Center Operations and Accounts Receivable. Deidre’s talent and dedication earned her a BellSouth scholarship to Emory University. She graduated from Goizueta Business School with a Master of Business Administration in 2002.</p>
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It was also in 2002 that Deidre married Michael Etheridge, a fellow BellSouth employee and an Air Force veteran. Two children followed, Jennifer in 2004 and Matthew in 2005. Deidre was devoted to her family, cherished her role as a mother, and encouraged her children in every endeavor.</p>
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In 2006, Deidre joined DHL Global Mail as a senior manager, Credit Risk Management, and, in 2007, she became a risk management solutions consultant at Dun & Bradstreet. Deidre launched a new call center and became the Director, AT&T Wireless Small Business Care Call Center Operations in 2008. In 2011, Michael, Deidre, and the children relocated to Chattanooga, TN to be closer to her family. Deidre joined Amazon.com as an area manager where she remained employed until her death, following a prolonged illness.</p>
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Deidre was smart, talented, determined, and a whole lot of fun. She had a warm laugh and an easygoing manner that instantly put people at ease. She was devoted to her family, her faith, and her friends, and served her country with honor. Those of us who were lucky enough to have known her are much better off for it and miss her dearly.</p>
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<em>— Classmates </em></p>