Ethel Butler Butler Gatewood

Ethel was born in New York City in 1918. She was the daughter of Hungarian and Irish immigrant parents, John and Katherine Butler. She spent her younger years in New York City and summers in upstate New York on her beloved grandfather, Daniel Droppa’s farm. She majored in journalism at Syracuse University before meeting her future husband on a blind date at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Soon after their courtship and marriage, Tom entered the army and was sent to Europe.

After WWII, Ethel and Tom moved to Kinston, NC, where all 3 children were born. In 1954 the family moved to Raleigh where Tom, a young CPA , began working for The John F. Prescott Co and Ethel worked as a full-time homemaker and mother. She was most happy raising her children and being her husband’s loyal wife and partner.

When her children were in their teens, Ethel became the secretary at Frances Lacy Elementary School. During the decades since, many adults in the Raleigh area have come up to greet Ethel, recognizing her kind, familiar face from her tenure at Lacy.

Ethel will be remembered as the undisputed matriarch of the Gatewood family and will be greatly missed by all members of this family. She was an accomplished bridge player, a member of the Club XVII, a Raleigh dance club, and a diehard UNC fan! She and husband, Tom , were founding members of Ridge Road Baptist Church. They attended services and participated in church functions and charities since the early fifties. The church was a great source of comfort and fellowship to Ethel in the years following Tom’s passing.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Dorothy Brauer, and her husband of 64 years, Thomas E. Gatewood.

She is survived by three children and their families: Thomas E. Gatewood, Jr. (wife Elizabeth), Daniel B. Gatewood, and Sue G. Ferrari; five grandchildren: Virginia G. Hunter (husband Greg), Thomas E. Gatewood, III (wife Page), William B. Randle (longtime girlfriend Frances Morgan), Katherine J. Randle (fiance Colin Raymond), and Anna Gatewood Demby (husband Brad); four great grandchildren: Greg, Thomas, Robert Hunter, and Thomas E. Gatewood, IV ( Tee).

Special thanks go to Sue Hollenbach, Ethel devoted caregiver and friend for the last year of her life,

The family would also like to express their appreciation to the compassionate staff of the Bethesda Health Care facility in Eastover, North Carolina. Ethel received the best care and the family could not be more grateful.

The family will receive relatives and friends at Sue Ferrari’s home on Saturday evening from 7:00 – 9:00 pm and prior to the service. The memorial service will be held at 3:00 pm on Sunday October 2nd, at the Mausoleum Chapel at Raleigh Memorial Park, 7501 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh NC 27612.

Memorial donations can be made to Ridge Road Baptist Church or to the SPCA, in memory of Ethel. Arrangement by Mitchell Funeral Home. Condolences and special memories can be shared at www.MitchellatRMP.com.

Arrangements under the direction of Mitchell Funeral Home at Raleigh Memorial Park, Raleigh, NC.