Obituary of Emmie Gorrell

Union Mills, NC - Emmie Bullington Gorrell, well-loved wife, sister, aunt, teacher, and friend, passed away May 31, 2023, at age 69. Born to Martha and Lee Bullington in Columbia, South Carolina, she remained a loyal daughter of the Palmetto State even as her family moved to Strafford, PA, Westfield, NJ, and Charlotte, NC, during her growing up years. Her favorite authors were South Carolinians James Dickey and Pat Conroy.

A graduate of Charlotte's East Mecklenburg H.S., she received her B.A. from Appalachian State University and two Master's degrees from the University of South Carolina, then worked as a speech therapist and special education teacher in Union County, SC, and Columbia schools. During her career, she requested to work with students who needed help the most, and she created a program in the schools for language delayed students. In 1985 she was honored as teacher of the year for her work in Richland Two.

She loved children, as her former students, niece, and nephews will attest, and animals. From her college days on, she always had at least one dog by her side.

In 1985 she married Martin Gorrell, who was working at the USC bookstore. He later became the manager of the USC Med School bookstore. They lived in Columbia, SC, then Lexington, SC, till 2016, when they moved to Union Mills, NC, in the Blue Ridge foothills, for their retirement years. She was the sister of Lee Bullington, Jr., who preceded her in death. She is survived by her sister, Susan Bullington Katz, and brother-in-law, Tony Bellasalma; her sister-in-law, Barbara Canfield Bullington; her niece, Chloe Katz Grant, and her husband, Michael Grant; her nephews Eli Katz, Brandon Bullington, Justin Bullington, and Logan Bullington; and many great-nephews, great-nieces, and cousins.

She loved thinking of others, and was usually finished with her Christmas shopping months ahead of time. She also loved both the beach and the desert. One of her favorite beaches was Edisto Island, and one of her memorable trips was to Santa Fe to see the beautiful area that inspired the work of her favorite artist, Georgia O'Keeffe.

Please join us for a memorial service at 3:00 PM,  Saturday afternoon, September 23, 2023, at the Mausoleum Chapel of Woodridge Memorial Park, 138 Corley Mill Rd., Lexington, SC.