With a heavy heart, we share the news of the passing of Mr. Ed Gore at Sunset Beach, NC. We knew Mr. Gore as a fellow church member, prominent business man, story teller with first-hand knowledge, and as a friend. He was easy to approach, fun to joke with, extremely giving and well respected. Personally, it is a humbling realization that Mr. Ed Gore along with his wife, and father before him, made the life we love at Sunset Beach possible. From the land we raised our family on, the sand we walk on, the business we own, the work we survive on, and this destination for thousands called Sunset Beach, North Carolina-Thank You Mr. Gore. We will miss you. His obituary follows below:
Edward Mannon Gore, Sr.
Edward Mannon "Ed" Gore, Sr. 82, of Sunset Beach, North Carolina, passed away peacefully in his sleep July 16, 2 014.
Ed was born to the late Mannon C & Mina R Gore on July 10, 1932 in Longwood, North Carolina. He was preceded in death by a son, Gilbert Craig Gore, and by a sister, Vivian Williams. He is survived by his wife Dinah, three sisters, Jan Foyle (Duke) of Little River, South Carolina, Norma Hewett (Bob) of Tabor City, North Carolina, and Barbara Hunn of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and by two sons, Edward M. Gore, Jr. (Cheryl) of Sunset Beach, and Gregory S. Gore (Emily) of Calabash, North Carolina, granddaughter Melissa Hendricks of Calabash, North Carolina, sisters-in-law Lois Kennedy of Beulaville, North Carolina, Frances Jones of Wilmington, North Carolina, Carmell Clapp of Butner, North Carolina, brother-in-law Dean Eubanks (Jan) of Beulaville, North Carolina, and numerous nieces & nephews.
Ed graduated from Waccamaw School (now Waccamaw Elementary) in 1950, attended Campbell College (now University) and East Carolina State University where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration.
Ed served in the US Air Force from 1954 to 1958, becoming fluent in Russian while in training at Syracuse University and the Defense Language School in Monterey, California before he was stationed in Japan, monitoring Russian radio transmissions during the Cold War.
After returning to North Carolina in 1958, during a weekend trip to Topsail Island, Ed stepped on a large sand spur and caught the attention of one Dinah Eubanks as he hopped around in misery while his then girlfriend simply looked on. Dinah took the initiative to pull the spur out of Ed's foot. A week later, Ed looked up Dinah, and they began dating, a relationship that culminated in 55 years of marriage.
Ed worked with his father to develop Sunset Beach, initially helping to operate the dredgeboats, tug boats, cranes, and heavy earth-moving machinery, and later assuming full responsibility for the entire operation after he and Dinah purchased his parents' interests in 1972. He served on the Sunset Beach Town Council for four decades.
Ed was a co-founder of Sea Trail Plantation, contributing his development and business know-how to the group, and later to his sons Edward, Jr., and Greg as they together developed Ocean Ridge Plantation, until they sold it in 2003. That sale enabled Ed to spend the rest of his life pursuing numerous philanthropic causes.
Although he was involved with seven golf courses during his development career, Ed enjoyed operating the machinery used to construct them more than actually playing the game. In the mid-1970s, he even mowed his yard during a hurricane one year to the torment of his family.
Ed served his church faithfully in the position of Crucifer and Acolyte at the 11AM services at Seaside United Methodist Church.
Ed was a long-standing and active member of the South Brunswick Islands (SBI) Rotary Club, where he served as a member of the Foundation Committee, and had volunteered his time and efforts over the years to many "service above self" projects, such as the annual Fore for Kids golf tournament. In particular, he enjoyed awarding the club's annual Citizenship Medal Awards to elementary school children, particularly at the Waccamaw Elementary school that he had attended as a child. Ed was also a "Sustaining Member" of the club, as well as a "Paul Harris Fellow," a distinguished award named for the original founder of Rotary International, an honor which he had also bestowed on his wife Dinah, and his son Greg, for their many community activities.
As a Brunswick Community College Foundation Board Director, Ed generously gave his time and talents, providing access to post-secondary education to countless current and future Brunswick Community College students. He and Dinah endowed a scholarship that will forever support local scholars. To honor his wife, the Dinah E. Gore Fitness and Aquatics Center bears her name. Ed believed in and demonstrated his passion for all things BCC through his energetic involvement with Dancing with the Brunswick Stars and the annual Foundation Community Breakfast, among others. Ed embodied the philosophy of changing lives, one friend and one student at a time.
Ed loved and supported Campbell University. A member of the Campbell College class of 1952, Ed served as Chairman of the Campbell University Foundation and as a member of the University Board of Trustees. He helped lead several major university initiatives over the past decade, including construction of Ed Gore Field at the school's football stadium, the Gilbert Craig Gore Basketball Arena, and along with his wife, the Dinah Gore Chapel Bell Tower. He was also involved in the creation and launch of Campbell's new medical school in 2013. The Gores are co-founders of a major resource for students and faculty at Campbell - the Gore Center for Servant Leadership, which is dedicated to the development of student leadership skills through projects, internships, course work and other opportunities.
Ed was a member of NC State University's W.J. Peele Society and the Chancellor's Circle. He was a founding member of NC State's GEN H. Hugh Shelton Leadership Center and was instrumental in growing the Center from its' inception. GEN Shelton noted that "Ed was a great man and a even greater person. People described him as a man of abundant faith and wisdom. He was unwavering in his commitment to the mission of developing values-based leaders. More than that, Ed was dedicated to serving God. He was one of our most highly respected and dedicated board members. He will be sorely missed. "
Ed's philanthropy also reflected his patriotism by directing major gifts to support scholarship funds that honor our fallen Special Operations soldiers by awarding merit based post-secondary educational memorial scholarships to the daughters, sons and spouses of America's most elite Fighting Force.
Ed was also major donor for the Fisher House Foundation that is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans' families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. He was also was a founding contributor to East Carolina University's Champions of Freedom fund.
A viewing will be held from 2:00 - 5:00pm, Sunday, July 20, 2014 at Brunswick Funeral Service, 5229 Ocean Hwy W., Shallotte, NC 28470. The funeral will begin at 1:00pm Monday, July 21, 2014 at Seaside United Methodist Church, 1300 Seaside Rd SW, Sunset Beach NC 28468. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to any of Ed's philanthropic causes.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.brunswickfuneralservice.com.
Brunswick Funeral Service, Shallotte, NC
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