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Island son William Daniel “Bill” Gaskill, Sr.: 1939 to 2021

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Bill Gaskill: 1939 to 2021

William Daniel “Bill” Gaskill Sr. of Ocracoke died April 27 at his home.

He was the husband of Alda Vann, at home.

Born Dec. 6, 1939, by one of the island midwives, he was a son of the late Thurston and Helen Gaskill.

Ever the optimist, he fought his battle with Merkel Cell Carcinoma with a positive attitude and a desire to beat it. He was blessed to have so many family members and friends supporting him and was surrounded by loved ones when he passed peacefully.

Bill grew up on Ocracoke fishing and hunting with his father and enjoyed being a part of Ocracoke’s mounted Boy Scout Troop 290. He joined the U.S. Coast Guard at the age of 17 and began a 20-year military career.

In 1962, he married the girl he had loved since he was a child. He always said the happiest day of his life was when he married Alda Vann O’Neal. Son Danny was born in 1963, followed by his daughter Doreen in 1966. When he retired in 1976, he brought his family back home to Ocracoke. He then worked for the NCDOT Ferry Division and then retired for a second time.

Never one to be idle he could often be found helping someone with a problem when he was not fishing, clamming, or enjoying the sunset. He was an amazingly smart person who could do everything from building a house to fixing a car.

He always took the time to enjoy the simple things, and always made time for helping friends, family, and sometimes strangers. If Bill Gaskill did not have the tool you needed, there is a good chance it did not exist. He would lend out his tools, and most of the time stop what he was doing to help. He will be missed by people of all ages and especially his family.

Bill was preceded in death by his brother Thurston Fuller Gaskill and son Danny Gaskill.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by daughter Doreen Gaskill Robinson; sister Annie Lou Gaskins; grandsons Ansley and Eldon Robinson; granddaughters Chrisi Gaskill and fiancé Charles Temple; and Katelyn Gaskill and husband Dustin Taylor.

A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 1, in the Ocracoke Community Cemetery. Everyone is welcome to attend.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Ocracoke United Methodist Church, PO Box 278, Ocracoke NC, 27960.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the many people who helped in so many different ways during Bill’s illness.

Twiford Funeral Homes, Outer Banks is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences and memories may be shared at www.TwifordFH.com.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore seeks preservation ideas for Ocracoke Light Station

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The Ocracoke lighthouse after a storm. Photo: P. Vankevich
The Ocracoke lighthouse after a storm. Photo: P. Vankevich

From our news services

Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) will seek site preservation ideas for the Ocracoke Light Station, aka the Ocracoke Lighthouse, at two public meetings in May.

The meetings will gather public input on how to sustainably preserve the historic resources at the Ocracoke Light Station in the wake of recent storm damage and in consideration of future impacts from climate change and sea level rise while providing visitor access to the site.

An in-person meeting will be held from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, May 6, in the Berkley Barn at Berkley Manor, 58 Water Plant Rd.

The virtual meeting will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday, May 10.

  • Online Meeting Link (best option for viewing online presentation from computer or smartphone)
  • Audio Only: 202-640-1187, 38403551# (best option for people with poor or no internet coverage)

Audio only attendees will not be able to view the presentation, therefore, all attendees are encouraged to use a computer or smartphone to connect via online meeting link.

Once a range of preservation ideas are gained and refined through the public meetings, the Seashore will move to the next phase, which will include assessing compliance needs under the National Historic Preservation Act, National Environmental Policy Act and other environmental regulations.

The public is invited to submit comments on the preservation ideas presented at the meetings and described in the newsletter until May 28.

Learn more about this planning effort in the Seashore’s Ocracoke Light Station newsletter.

If the ferry isn’t running due to inclement weather, the in-person meeting will be rescheduled for a later date.

A historic marker for the Ocracoke lighthouse is located at Irvin Garrish Highway and Lighthouse Road. Photo: C. Leinbach
A historic marker for the Ocracoke lighthouse is located at Irvin Garrish Highway and Lighthouse Road. Photo: C. Leinbach

COVID-19 cases increasing again in Hyde

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From our news services

The COVID-19 pandemic is not over, and Hyde County is experiencing an uptick in cases, the Hyde County Health Director said recently.

“We need the public (and those who are positive cases) to adhere to public health standards,” said Luana Gibbs, health director, in a Friday press release.

As of Friday, the health department recorded 15 positive cases in the county. Out of 680 cases since case tracking began in 2020, 657 have recovered and there have been eight deaths.  As of April 16, there were 22 positive cases, but as of the end of March, there were two cases.

The first area of Gibbs’s concern is contact tracing. 

The health department is currently using Carolina Community Tracing Collaborative (CCTC) to perform case investigations and contact tracing. 

“If you receive a call from this organization and you do not answer, they will identify themselves as calling on behalf of the Hyde County Health Department and ask you to call the statewide call center at 844-628-7223,” Gibbs said. “Please follow all of their instructions. This is imperative so that information can be given to help slow the transmission of the virus.”

The second area of concern, Gibbs said, is adherence to the orders patients are provided for isolation and quarantine. 

Legal action can be implemented when cases and contacts do not follow the guidelines they are given. 

“This is not the route I wish to take when people do not comply, but it is a route that is available and I have used this in the past,” she said. “Please, just comply with directions and get through your isolation period. We do not want a spike in cases, any more loss of lives or severe sickness. We want to get done with COVID so we can go back to how we lived in 2019.”

The Hyde County Health Department is offering COVID-19 vaccines to anyone 18 years of age and older.

To schedule an appointment, please call 252-926-4467.

County seeks paid liaison for Ocracoke

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Hyde County is seeking a parttime liaison for Ocracoke.

According to the job description, the liaison would work with different people to help Hyde County accomplish a common goal to provide services to the citizens of Ocracoke.

The liaison will facilitate communications between the citizens of Ocracoke and various county departments while working to connect those citizens with the county resources they need.

The Ocracoke liaison will have the following responsibilities:

  1. Maintain office hours regularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to noon at the Ocracoke Community Center. During this time, the liaison will assist residents with all questions in regard to Hyde County Departments and assist residents in obtaining the information needed in regard to county services.
  2. Issue all Ocracoke re-entry passes. Applications and renewals are completed year-round by mail and online. Applications may also be filed during office hours.
  3. Be responsible for hosting the Ocracoke side of all Hyde County Board of Commissioners meetings including the regular meeting on the first Monday of each month, special called meetings and emergency meetings. Attendance at other meetings may be required throughout the month.
  4. Set up the room including placement of chairs and tables, set up and test the teleconferencing equipment prior to each meeting and operate the equipment during the meeting. The employee is responsible for the take down of all chairs and tables, storage of teleconferencing equipment and locking the facility.
  5. Will keep meeting minutes for some meetings and will be trained and appointed as a deputy clerk to the Board of Commissioners.
  6. Assist the Hyde County Public Information Officer each week with the publication of the Hyde Happenings and other public information as directed by the PIO.
  7. During major events the liaison will support the emergency manager in holding Ocracoke Control Group meetings including meeting minutes and will attend all meetings. The liaison will also assist the PIO with press releases and the clerk and emergency manager with State of Emergency Proclamations.
  8. Work with the Hyde County Grant Administrator and islanders to accept, process and update grant applications for housing and other individual assistance after disaster events. The liaison will be asked to complete intake, gather information and acquire photos of damaged homes.
  9. Work in the Emergency Operations Center on the island after a disaster to process temporary entry permits for vendors, service workers and others as directed by the emergency manager and instructed by the public information officer.
  10.  Other duties as assigned.

To apply:Obtain a Hyde County Application online at http://www.hydecountync.gov.

Submit the application and your resume either by mail or to Tracy Gibbs, HR Director, County of Hyde, P.O. Box 188, Swan Quarter, NC 27885, or email her at tgibbs@hydecountync.gov.

Sheriff captain urges caution on road at north end; OVFD receives good rating; Fireman’s Ball canceled this year

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This view of N.C. 12 at the north end of Ocracoke shows the south side of the road beginning to buckle into the sand. Photo: C. Leinbach

Captain Jason Daniels of the Hyde County Sheriff’s Department urges all motorists driving north to the ferry terminal to be mindful of the compromised road in the area protected by sandbags.

From all of the ocean over wash in the last year, the side of N.C. 12 closest to the sandbags is beginning to cave in, Daniels said.

Those driving north should be aware of this and those driving from the terminal to the village should be aware of those driving northbound through this area.

Although visitors are beginning to arrive back on the island, Daniels had little to report in the way of infractions from Feb. 16 to March 15.

“A few traffic stops and DUIs,” Daniels said.

The Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department also had a slow month with four medical responder calls.

Recently, the island’s fire department got some good news as it achieved a district rating of 5, down from its previous rating of 6, which is a good thing.

“The smaller the number, the better,” said Dick Jacoby, president of the Ocracoke Fire Protection Association, which is the fundraising arm of the company and which keeps all of the company records. “For a volunteer fire department a 5 rating is phenomenal.”

This lower rating means that island businesses may see a rate decrease, Jacoby said. Homeowners already received a rate decrease when the OVFD received a 6 rating.

The Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department building. Photo: C. Leinbach

The fire department recently finished weekend firefighter training, which is periodically needed to retain a good rating.

Training includes working with the water company, hose and fire hydrant testing and more. State law requires inspections of rural fire companies to check for proper staffing levels, sufficient equipment and maintenance, communications capabilities and availability of a water source.

The OVFD has about 26 active members and can always use more, Jacoby said.

“We need more who have more time during the season to respond to calls,” he said.

The annual Firemen’s Ball, the major fundraiser for the company typically the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend has been canceled but next year’s date is set for May 28, which will be the fifteenth event.

This year, the OVFD will offer tickets for a chance to win the Ocracoke Strong sign that hung at the Variety Store after Hurricane Dorian in September 2019 and was a beacon of hope for everyone on the island.  It was donated by Tommy Hutcherson, Variety Store owner.  

To purchase a chance to win this iconic sign, click the following Ocracoke Strong Sign.

The Variety Store sign, after getting ripped off by Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 6, 2019, became ‘Ocracoke Strong.’ The Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department is auctioning it this year as a fundraiser. Photo: C. Leinbach

Last call for COVID-19 vaccines on Ocracoke

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R.N. Lucy O’Neal, gives a COVID-19 vaccination at the Ocracoke Health Center’s vaccine clinic April 13. All residents who want a vaccine need to call the health center on Thursday, April 22, to get in on the last shots available. Photo: C. Leinbach

By Connie Leinbach

The Ocracoke Health Center today is urging all residents age 18 and over on Ocracoke who want a COVID-19 vaccine to call on Thursday (April 22) as the last first-dose vaccines for a while will be administered on Friday.

That number is their COVID-19 hotline: 252-489-3622.

Mandy Cochran, R.N., said that because of the low demand in Hyde County, the batch of vaccines here now will be the last for a while.

“Friday will be the last day we’re administering first doses just for the foreseeable future,” she said. “We’re not sure when we’ll be getting more.”

Cochran said when health centers order vaccines from the state, those doses have to be used within seven days.

“There’s currently just not enough demand on Ocracoke,” she said, and there’s not enough demand on mainland Hyde nor the surrounding counties. “There’s a chance that in the coming weeks that we will have some on hand but right now we are not going to have any more first doses.”

If the health center receives more vaccines, they would likely come via the federal government program to which the center is applying, she said.

So far, Ocracoke has administered about 1,300 shots, or to about 650 people, though not all of those people are from Ocracoke, she said.

She said the health center has been calling its patients aged 18 to 21 to get vaccinated.

“We’ve been trying,” she said. “So, if anybody still wants a vaccine, please call me tomorrow.”

According to the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services COVID-19 vaccine dashboard, 3.65 million people in North Carolina have received first doses of a two-dose vaccine and 2.7 million people have been fully vaccinated.

To date, the state has administered over 6.5 million vaccines; 47.1 percent of adults aged 18 and over are at least partially vaccinated; and 35.8 percent are fully vaccinated.

More than 76 percent of people 65 and older have had at least one shot. 

According to the weekly totals, 386,295 vaccines were administered the week of April 12 and 67,309 doses were given the week of April 19.

The dashboard also shows that 1,963 new COVID cases were reported today; 1,200 reported on Tuesday; and 1,380 reported on Monday.

Hyde County health department reported on Friday that Hyde has 22 active COVID-19 cases up from 18 as of April 9.

The NCDHHS COVID-19 dashboard reports 97 total cases for Ocracoke.

Nevertheless, Gov. Roy Cooper in a press briefing today noted stable trends and vaccination success and said the state may lift mandatory social distancing, capacity and mass gathering restrictions by June 1.

“Although we are making progress, we haven’t beaten COVID-19 yet,” he said. “Vaccination is the best way to beat this pandemic, protect one another, boost the economy and make it possible for restrictions to be lifted.” 

The state anticipates lifting the mask mandate and easing other public health recommendations, once two thirds of adult North Carolinians have received at least one vaccine dose and if trends remain stable.

Cooper plans to issue an executive order next week outlining safety restrictions for the month of May.

Cooper said businesses should continue to follow voluntary health recommendations and North Carolinians should continue to take safety measures in order to boost the economy, keep children in schools and protect each other.

Those measures include the Three Ws: wear a mask, wait 6 feet apart, and wash hands often.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released statistics showing that North Carolina is among the states with the fewest deaths and fewest job losses per capita.

The Hyde County COVID-19 case count as of April 16, 2021.

Pamlico Sound ferry routes to resume full schedules on Wednesday

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The full schedule of Pamlico Sound ferries will resume on Wednesday, April 21. Photo: C. Leinbach

From our news services

Thanks to successful dredging, the Pamlico Sound ferry routes between Ocracoke, Swan Quarter and Cedar Island will return to their full schedules on Wednesday, April 21.

A test run with the M/V Swan Quarter today revealed that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ dredging efforts made vast improvements to ferry channel depths and widths in Bigfoot Slough, allowing safe passage for all of the state’s ferries.

The full schedule beginning Wednesday, April 21, weather permitting, is as follows:

  • Ocracoke to Cedar Island:  7:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
  • Cedar Island to Ocracoke: 7:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
  • Ocracoke to Swan Quarter: 7 a.m., 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
  • Swan Quarter to Ocracoke: 10 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

For up-to-the-minute information on schedule changes on the Cedar Island and Swan Quarter routes, please follow @NCFerryPamSound on Twitter.

Marathon walk on Ocracoke commemorates WWII Bataan Death March

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Phil Dee, Jack Dee, Glen Becker, Mike Phillips and Kyle Yancey begin their 26-mile trek on Ocracoke to commemorate the Bataan Death March of 1942. Photo: C. Leinbach

By Connie Leinbach

How do you do a 26-mile walk on Ocracoke?

Simply from one end of the island to the other, and it was the perfect place for five men to reenact their commitment to honor the Bataan Death March during World War II.

“Got your ibuprofen?” called Phil Dee, the leader of the five-man group who on April 16 landed on Ocracoke at 6 a.m. at the north end of the island, suited up and began walking the 13 miles to Ocracoke village.

The pain pills are a must, Dee said, to keep inflammation and swelling down on these long treks.

Dee’s group is among between 7,000 and 8,000 people across the country registered for this year’s virtual event that can be done anytime between April 9 and 18.

Usually, they travel to White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico to do this hike, which is the site of a memorial to this horrific World War II event.

The group walks along N.C. 12. Photo by George Wood

According to the Bataan Memorial Death March website, On April 9, 1942, tens of thousands of American and Filipino Soldiers were surrendered to Japanese forces and were forced to march more than 60 miles in the scorching heat through the Philippine jungles.

Approximately 10,000 soldiers – about 1,000 of them U.S. soldiers – died or were killed along the march. Those who survived faced the hideous conditions and the brutality of their captors.

Dee, of Kings Mountain and a former tank commander with the U.S. Army, said there are only 10 survivors left.

He said his father was a Navy officer stationed in the South Pacific during World War II and that he had a cousin who had died on one of the “hell ships” that transported POWs.

Closer to home, he said his nephew’s uncle was a Bataan survivor.

Kyle Yancey shows the mileage counter at 13 miles inside the Ocracoke Variety Store. Pointing to the phone is Jack Dee. Phil Dee is center. Photo: C. Leinbach

“And (since then) he always carried a sandwich with him,” Dee said. “Always.”

When he learned the New Mexico event would be virtual this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and that marchers could choose their own 26.2-mile site, he thought of Ocracoke.

“The White Sands Missile Range installation is pretty harsh conditions,” he said. They’re unpredictable, he said about the different elevations.

“We’ll do it rain or shine,” he said. “You read about these (Bataan prisoners) and what they endured….”

The New Mexico course is harder, he said, owing to the elevation changes. There’s also a big sand pit around mile 16; then you go around a mountain.

“Seven to eight thousand people do that march,” he said, and all those people urging each other on is motivational.

The Outer Banks can be unpredictable, too.

From Dee’s lodging in Duck, Dare County, the group got up at 3 a.m. to get on the 5 a.m. ferry.

“When you do the one in White Sands, you gotta get up at 3 a.m.,” he said.

After resupplying at the 13-mile mark, the group heads back to the north end of Ocracoke. Photo: C. Leinbach

The group mostly hiked the road though did venture onto the beach for about nine miles until abandoning the soft sand at Ramp 67.

“Sand is an exponential multiplier,” Dee said.

Accompanying Dee were his son, Jack, 17; Dee’s cousin Mike Phillips of Winston-Salem, Kyle Yancey of Gastonia and Glen Becker of St. Louis, Missouri.

Joining them for a few miles was Joanna Tolson of Buxton, whose great-great uncle died on the Bataan march, Dee said.

Around 11 a.m., the group got to the Ocracoke Variety Store. It was 13 miles according to their GPS.

After they purchased some beverages and food, they paused to check their feet, applying Vaseline and moleskin to sore spots before resuming the hike back to the South Dock.

They got on a late afternoon ferry.

“Eleven hours to complete,” Dee said in a text. “Everyone made it. A few hurting.”

Mike Phillips takes a selfie of the group back at their car at the South Ferry Dock.

Ocracoke events week of April 19 to 25: podcasts, music, meetings and more

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Roanoke Island Animal Clinic will hold a veterinary clinic in the Community Center on Wednesday. Photo: C. Leinbach

To catch up on Ocracoke news and much more, click here

Monday, April 19
Ocracoke Occupancy Tax Board deliberates on the grant requests for 2021-2022. See prior story here. The public may send comments to Chair Bob Chestnut at bob@surfocracoke.com. Monday night’s meeting will be broadcast live on the Hyde County Public Information Facebook page.

Tuesday, April 20
Ocracoke Waterways Commission meets at 6 pm., virtually on Facebook at Hyde County Public Information.
Agenda is as follows:
Call to Order
Public Comment via Facebook Live
Albemarle RPO Informational Presentation
Army Corps Update
Big Foot Slough Dredging
South Ferry Channel Dredging
Rollinson Channel Resignation
Ferry Division Update
Swan Quarter/Cedar Island – Ocracoke Operations
Hatteras – Ocracoke Operations
Passenger Ferry Operations
Passenger Ferry Build Status (litigation update)
Movement of Ferry Route from Big Foot to Nine Foot Slough
South Dock Relocation Submission to STIP Update
USCG Aids to Navigation Update
Hyde County –
Silver Lake Ordinance Update
Coastal Resilience Grant Update
NC-12 Task Force Update
Public Comment
Adjourn

Ocracoke Interfaith Relief & Recovery public meeting. 6 p.m. livestream on OIRRT’s Facebook page.

Coyote Music Den: Marcy & Lou (with digital guests) on Facebook at Coyote – Marcy and Lou. All concerts are free; tips welcome at www.paypal.me/coyotemusicden or donate/more info at www.coyotemusic.net.

Wednesday, April 21
Roanoke Island Animal Clinic at 9 a.m. Community Center.  Appointments required. Call 252-473-3117. Check RIAC Facebook page on clinic day for travel delays.

Coyote Music Den. Live streaming begins again with Martin Garrish & Friends; 8 to 9 p.m. http://www.facebook.com/martingarrishandfriends

Thursday, April 22
Earth Day Cleanup and Fundraiser for the Bread of Life Food Pantry. 3 to 7: 30 p.m. See story here.

Anmargaret Warner interviews Mauro Ibarra (famous face at the Variety Store) on: Why do we continue living in places that are prone to natural disasters, like hurricanes? Why not go somewhere safer? The podcast comes out on the Out There website (http://www.outtherepodcast.com/) or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Friday, April 23
Ocracoke Tourism Development Authority will hold a public hearing on the proposed 2021-2022 budget at 9 a.m. virtually on the Hyde County Public Information Facebook page. Agenda and budget are below.

Bread of Life to hold Earth Day cleanup fundraiser

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For Earth Day on Thursday, April 22, the Bread of Life Food Pantry will hold an island-wide cleanup and fundraiser, rain or shine.

The pantry is looking for volunteers of all ages to help clean up the streets of Ocracoke and they are also raising money to restock our shelves.

This fundraiser is asking volunteers to find individuals willing to pledge funds for every full bag of trash they collect.  Suggested pledge amount is $10 per bag.

Those who want to participate are asked to meet in the Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department parking lot from 3 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 22. Trash bags and gloves will be provided. Participants are asked to wear face coverings.

Volunteers return to the OVFD parking lot with their trash bags by 7:30 p.m.

Each volunteer is asked to find at least one person to pledge to their cleanup efforts.

“The more pledges garnered, the more funds we can raise to feed our community,” said Alicia Peel, Bread of Life Food Pantry volunteer coordinator.

To volunteer, call or text Peel at 252-921-0348, or you can email ocracokepantry@gmail.com.

How to pledge funds:

  1. Connect with a volunteer and become one of their pledges.
  2. Fill out and return a paper pledge form. These will be available on the Post Office bulletin board starting April 13 and can be dropped off in a drop box on the porch of the Life Saving Church.
  3. Visit our Google form at https://forms.gle/Wd4CG8pw5kekV8zx8
  4. All pledges must be submitted by 5 p.m. on April 21.

Clarification: This story is corrected from an earlier version which misnamed the sponsoring organization.

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