Robert Pinkney Gorrell

GORRELL, Mr. Robert Pinkney, passed away on Saturday, October 25, 2008 at Moses Cone Hospital. A funeral service will be held Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 11 a.m. in Grace United Methodist Church and burial will follow at Green Hill Cemetery. Bob was a life resident of Greensboro and was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Palmer Gorrell and Mary Turner Gorrell, and by his older brother, Joseph Palmer Gorrell. Mr. Gorrell was born January 20, 1931. He attended the Darlington School for Boys in Rome, Georgia before graduating from Duke University in 1953 where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Completing OCS, he entered the U.S. Navy as an Ensign and was discharged as a Full Lieutenant in 1956, having served as a member of the original crew of LST 1169, the U.S.S. Whitfield County. Mr. Gorrell worked for NCNB from 1956 until 1969. Afterwards, he was owner of Carolina Moving and Storage until his retirement. Throughout his life, Mr. Gorrell was a remarkably generous benefactor to a multitude of civic and private causes. He served on the Board of Visitors of the Duke University Medical Center, the Board of Directors of the General Greene Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and he was of tireless service to Grace United Methodist Church through his work on its many boards and committees. He was a passionate supporter of Duke University athletics, and he endowed and established the Gorrell Psychiatric Research Foundation at Duke University. In addition, he created the Gorrell Family Foundation specifically to benefit deserving causes within our community. There is no end to the lives he touched and positive changes he enabled through his generosity over the years, most of it without credit or notoriety. As an avid outdoorsman and conservationist, and wildlife artist, he loved hunting and fishing and was a loyal supporter of Ducks Unlimited. In addition, but with less positive results, he enjoyed golf and tennis. Surviving him is his devoted wife of 55 years, Sarah Swain Gorrell; his daughter, Mary Gorrell Jones and her husband, Chuck Jones; his daughter, Sarah Gorrell Kuratnick and her husband, David Kuratnick; his son, Robert P. Gorrell Jr. and his wife Sabet Stroman; and his 10 beloved grandchildren who adored him as "Dink." In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made in Mr. Gorrell's name to Grace United Methodist Church, 438 West Friendly Avenue, Greensboro, N.C. 27401 or another charity of your choice. The family will receive friends at his home. Hanes-Lineberry N. Elm Funeral Home is assisting the family.
This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.