‘I will miss you’: Friends, family honor Horry police officer killed in line of duty
When they were kids, Melton Gore and C.J. Gore knocked a peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of the hand of their other brother, Tony, because he wouldn’t share. Tony chased Melton out of the kitchen and like any good brother, C.J. hung back in the kitchen—with the sandwich.
C.J. told the tale and said that one day he would share the sandwich story with Melton again. Though C.J. knows he will need his own angel wings when that time comes.
“Plane was on the tarmac, without any hesitation, without any negotiation, he boarded and took flight,” C.J. Gore said of Melton’s recent trip to heaven. “One of these days, sooner or later, I’ll get some wings and I’ll fly away too.
“I’m going to fly somewhere on the other side to you, so we can laugh about that peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
C.J., Tony and Melton’s twin, Milton, all spoke during Melton’s funeral Wednesday at the Myrlte Beach Convention Center. Hundreds of friends, family and local police officers joined together to remember the man known as “Fox.” On Jan. 12, Horry County police Lance Cpl. Melton Gore died after being hit by a car on S.C. 22. He was trying to remove debris from the road when he was killed.
He is the fifth active-duty police officer in the area to die in recent months while serving the community.
A lengthy funeral with all the pomp and circumstances allowed those closest to Gore to say goodbye to the 57-year-old. He was known for his cooking and willingness to help others. The service mixed reverence with a celebration of Gore’s life in traditional baptist vim that left the crowd hopeful that they too will see “Fox” again.
The second youngest out of 14 children, Gore leaves behind dozens of friends and family. He also had a 12-year-old son and the Coastal Carolina Fraternal Order of Police organized a scholarship fundraiser.
Gore followed in his father’s footsteps and became a police officer. His family and friends called him “Fox” for his enterprising spirit and crafty nature growing up. Tony Gore joked “Fox” looked down at the packed convention hall and said, “I can make some money off of this right here.”
“He was never without two to three jobs,” Gore’s family wrote about him in the funeral program.
Bebe Sanders, Gore’s sister, joked about Gore’s love of thrift sales and asked him to curb the habit in heaven.
“Fox, please do not ask Jesus if he is getting a new chair, so you can ask if you can buy the old one at a discounted price,” Sanders said, prompting laughs from the crowd.
“I will miss you my Fox,” Sanders said. “My heart will never be the same.”
“Fox” was also known for his Southern cooking and Horry County police Chief Joe Hill said his food was how Gore showed his love to the community. Hill talked about Gore’s joy in serving others and recalled how Gore made chicken for the department during hurricanes.
“And all he put on there was a little salt, pepper, and a whole lot of love,” Hill said.
Hill has been police chief for four years and bonded with Gore, who he described as a true public servant. Hill said he only wished he had more time with the 20-year veteran.
“You never think it’s going to be your last day with somebody,” said Hill. “If he was here today, I would hope he would sit down and spend a couple of hours with me so I can really get to know him.”
Family remembers fallen officer
On Thursday, hundreds lined at North Myrtle Beach High School to say goodbye to Gore during a visitation.
Nancy Daniels said she is Gore’s cousin and has known him for decades. She said growing up, Gore was never a problem and described him as a “good person.”
“He was a good person,” Daniels said. “He never bothered nobody.”
Van Evans knew Gore for years and called him as an angel. She said that Gore had fulfilled his mission on Earth and went back to be with God. She talked about how Gore was always willing to help the community and everybody was his friend.
“He never met a stranger,” Evans said. “To meet him one time, you never forgot him.”
Gore’s cousins, Tina and Chrissy Farmer, are twins like Melton and Milton and the trait runs in their family. Chrissy called Gore a sweet person and recounted a time she went to an auto body shop with Gore and everybody knew him.
“He was just the type of person that didn’t meet a stranger,” Farmer said. “Everywhere he went, he was loved.”
Farmer said Gore was a family man and usually cooked at their family reunions.
“Everybody knew that when they ate ‘Fox’s’ cooking, it was going to be good,” Farmer said.
Milton Gore said the pair’s connection will last forever. He knew his brother would want to send one last message of thanks to his family, friends and coworkers on the police force. Milton spoke for his brother and told about how “Fox” would typically end his days telling dispatchers his shift was over.
“This is 500 signing off,” referencing Gore’s usual sign-off with his badge number. “I have a new chief that I report to.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 11:49 AM.
