Laundromat industry pioneer Kenneth Cherry passed away on March 3 at the age of 91.
A long-time resident of Columbia, Tenn., Mr. Cherry was born in Clay County, Tenn., and raised on his family’s farm. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, he taught school for a couple of years, before settling in Columbia to join Tennessee Rural Health, a health insurance company and a subsidiary of the Tennessee Farm Bureau. Mr. Cherry later became the CEO of the company, from which he retired in 1996.
Along the way, Mr. Cherry also developed an interest in the laundry business. He bought his first laundromat with his aunt in 1959 in Livingston, Tenn. And, in 1964, he opened Big Wash Tub Laundry in Columbia. In 1982, Kenneth built a new 4,500-square-foot building for the Big Wash Tub Laundry, which is still in business today. Through the years, he owned two additional laundromats in Mt. Pleasant and Hohenwald.
“I’ve known Mr. Cherry since 1995, when I first moved to Nashville,” said Michael Davis, president and CEO of Star Distributing in Nashville. “He knew my father from the commercial laundry industry, and they had been business associates since before I was born. I have to say I’m honored to have had such a close relationship and friendship with him.
“He was my mentor, my best and favorite customer, and he supported me from the first time we ever met. If it wasn’t for Mr. Cherry, I don’t know if I would still be in Nashville – or even in the same industry. He kept me on my toes at all times. He was always coming with ideas of how to manage a better business and make his business as nice as it could be for the customers. No one did it with as much class and style as Mr. Cherry.”
Kenneth Cherry joined the Coin Laundry Association in the early 1960s. He served on the CLA Board of Directors and also was president of the organization’s Tennessee affiliate for 12 years.
“The entire laundromat industry is forever better for having had Kenneth Cherry as a member, advocate and friend,” said CLA President and CEO Brian Wallace. “We are mourning his passing but, at the same time, thinking of the hundreds, if not thousands, of laundromat professionals who have been inspired by Mr. Cherry over his many years of service to the Coin Laundry Association.
“Whether that be through a kind word, a warm smile, a nugget of sage advice, an encouraging note – or by his relentless advocacy for taking better care of our customers and our communities – he is directly responsible for making us better at what we do,” Wallace continued. “No one who knew so much asked so many great questions of others – always looking to learn and improve his business.
“There are very few who did more to professionalize our business over the past five or six decades – not by lecturing or belittling business owners who needed to improve – rather, Kenneth lifted others through his humble sharing of lessons learned and offering a gentle nudge in the right direction at just the right time.”
Mr. Cherry also was a community leader. He was involved in numerous committees – including the Governor’s Health Care Cost Containment Committee, the Rural Health Advisory Committee, the Tennessee Health Care Exchange, the Community Services and Resources Board of Directors, the Mental Health Board, and the Hospital Advisory Board of Maury Regional Medical Center.
Moreover, Kenneth served on various committees for Columbia State Community College and the Cherry Theatre – which was named to honor Mr. Cherry and his wife, Ramona, for their generous support.
He was a member of West 7th Church of Christ, as well as a supporter of Columbia Academy, King’s Daughters’ Autism Center, 4-H and other FFA activities. He was a philanthropic donor to many organizations within Maury County.
“I’m grateful to count Mr. Cherry among the most impactful mentors I’ve had the privilege to know over my 30 years in the industry,” Wallace added. “When I first joined the association as younger man, he treated me with a level of respect that I most definitely had not earned yet. As the years went on, Kenneth always took the time to check in on me and offer an encouraging pat on the back. I learned a lot about how to do business and treat people the right way through his extraordinary, yet modest, example. I can only hope to carry those invaluable lessons forward and do my best to emulate his remarkable example.”
In addition to his wife of 62 years, Kenneth Cherry is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Linda Cherry (Bruce) Dixon; grandchildren, Brande (Karl) Kollmeyer and Dustin (Roslyn) Dixon; great grandchildren, Adelyn Kollmeyer and Jaxon Dixon; and sisters, Adele Birdwell and Ina Masters.
