Richard Sherman Gaskill

Richard (Dick) Sherman Gaskill, 85, of New Bern, North Carolina, passed away peacefully at home on October 12, 2026. He was born on February 9, 1941, in Kokomo, Indiana, to John Sherman Gaskill and Anita Bassett Gaskill Canary.

Dick graduated from Buchtel High School in Akron, Ohio, in 1959, attended the University of Akron, and served his country in the United States Air Force. He went on to a long career with Grange Mutual Casualty Company, serving as Vice President until his retirement in 1994.

Retirement didn't keep him on the ground for long. In 1996, he began a second career as General Manager of the Union County Airport in Marysville, Ohio, a role he held until 2012. A private pilot himself, Dick loved anything that took him into the sky or out on the water. He was an avid fisherman and boater and a member of the Fairfield Harbor Yacht Club, the Blackbeard Sailing Club, the FH Fishing Club, and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. He was also a Past Exalted Ruler of the Elks Club and served as President of the Tradewinds Condo Association.

Above all, Dick was devoted to his family. He and Pam recently celebrated 60 years of marriage. He was Pops to his children and a beloved Pop-Pop to his grandchildren, who will cherish his memory always.

Dick is survived by his wife of 60 years, Pam Gaskill; his children, Melissa Garland (David) of Dunedin, Florida, Scott Gaskill (Wendy) of Atlanta, Georgia, and Molly McKinley (Jen) of Apex, North Carolina; his grandchildren, Olivia and Claire Garland, Jordan and Eliza Gaskill, Connor, Cate, and William McKinley, and Jameson and Ellis Strombotne; his sister, Kathy Miller (Jim) of Gulf Breeze, Florida; and his brother, David Gaskill of Christiansburg, Virginia.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John Sherman Gaskill and Anita Bassett Gaskill Canary.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Instead of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or the American Heart Association.

Cotten Funeral Home and Crematory is honored to serve the family and friends of Richard Sherman Gaskill.