KING — There is one common denominator when anyone speaks about West Stokes’ educator and coach Julie Gammons, and that is she has imprinted on anyone that she has ever meet. She always had a kind and encouraging word to everyone, and her legacy will live on forever.
Gammons, 49, of King, passed away on Sunday, July 21 after a six-year battle with breast cancer. She is survived by Travis, her husband of 21 years, 8-year-old daughter Zoie, mother Jan, sister Krista Cook (Greg) and nieces Haley and Macey Cook.
“I had the privilege of knowing Coach Gammons when I was a sixth grade student at Chestnut Grove,” said West Stokes’ Principal Dr. Sam Jones. “She was my middle school physical education teacher and then moved to West Stokes where she taught and coached while I was a student there. I come from a family of educators, but it was Coach Gammons who provided me with my first opportunity in the education field.”
After Jones graduated from West Stokes in 2006, Gammons hired him as an assistant softball coach at North Surry High School.
“I’ve had time to reflect and have realized how fortunate I was to have Coach in my life as a student, head coach, and colleague,” added Jones. “I saw her enthusiasm, love, and competitiveness from many different perspectives. Two years ago, we had the opportunity to hire her as a physical education teacher and women’s basketball coach here at West. At the time, she was the perfect fit and exactly who we needed in our program. I will forever be grateful to her and will always remember the impact she had on me and on so many other people.”
Gammons taught and coached for over 27-years and was a teacher of the year nominee four times, winning it in the 2005-06 and the 2017-18 school years.
She graduated from South Stokes in 1992 where she was a four-year letterman in softball, basketball and volleyball. Gammons played softball for four years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and graduated in 1996 earning a B.A. in Physical Education.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree at UNC, she earned her master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) and began her coaching career at Elon College.
Whiling coaching softball at Elon, she completed her teaching licensure at the school and was then hired at Chestnut Grove Middle School in 2000.
In 2002, she taught Latin at West Stokes for one year and then moved to King and Pinnacle elementary schools to teach P.E. while continuing to coach softball, volleyball and girls’ soccer at the high school.
Gammons moved to North Surry in 2007 and coached a vast number of teams as either the head coach or assistant coach in girls’ basketball (2006-11), softball (2006-12, 2020-21), volleyball (2010), cross country (2008-2009, 2011, 2013-2014), indoor track (2018-2021), tennis (2012) and soccer (2013-18). She coached the girls’ soccer team to its first state playoff appearance (2018) after finishing 3-16 the season before.
“I only wish to become the educator and motivational speaker Julie embodied,” said North Surry softball coach, Beth Hodges, on her Facebook page. “She commanded her gym and classroom, and her students loved her. Julie was the most positive person, and she was a realist. She didn’t sugar coat anything and she told you exactly what she was thinking. I love that, she was always true to who she was. Julie is irreplaceable and there will not be another one like her.”
Gammons coached softball (2000-02, 2022-23) and girls’ basketball (2000-02) at Chestnut Grove, and softball (2004-06), girls’ soccer (2003), volleyball (2000-04) and girls’ basketball (2002-05, 2022-2024) at West Stokes.
“Julie Gammons was amazing coach and teacher at West stokes high school,” said West Stokes’ Athletic Director, Jason Sammons. “Her legacy will be one that will be remembered forever. She acted as my right hand and was the person I could always count on anytime there was a need. I will miss her coaching, but more than that, I will miss her friendship. She was truly one of a kind.”
Gammons’ visitation was held at West Stokes on July 25 where former players, students, colleagues and friends waited in line for more than two hours to speak with the family. The funeral service as held the next day with hundreds in attendance.
Editor’s Note: I will miss my friend! She gave me the opportunity to start my softball coaching career at West Stokes in 2005 when she could have easily asked someone else. She took me under her wing and showed me that coaching was not always about teaching the game, but about the relationships you build through the game and that hopefully those relationships would help make a difference in a player’s life in whatever situation they find themselves in.
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