Kathalyn (Skeeter) Gillespie Baker Dies at 81; Longtime Allendale County Volunteer

Kathalyn Anne "Skeeter" Gillespie Baker, 81, of Blackville, South Carolina, "entered eternal rest on Monday, January 12, 2026," the family announced through Dyches Funeral Home of Barnwell. Baker was best known locally as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician with the Barnwell Rescue Squad, where she was named EMT of the Year in 1987, and as a full-time dispatcher and administrative assistant at the Barnwell Sheriff’s Office.

Baker was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and raised in Laurens and Blackville. She graduated from Barnwell High School, where she "mastered the skills of shorthand, typing, and dictation," according to the funeral notice. Her early work included serving as a receptionist for the Barnwell People-Sentinel; later in life she worked as a home health aide and as a transportation coordinator for the Lower Savannah Council of Governments in Allendale County.

Her community service record spans public safety and local institutions. Barnwell Rescue Squad records and the Dyches obituary note her years of volunteer emergency service, culminating in the 1987 EMT of the Year honor. In addition to her public roles, Baker was active in St. Andrews Catholic Church of Barnwell and maintained a broad set of domestic and craft skills, including genealogy, recipe collecting, cake design and decorating, making wedding mints, and sewing afghans, blankets, and quilts.

Baker's survivors include her daughter Bridgitte H. Gunnells (Perry) of Flagler Beach, Florida; her son Thomas N. Baker (Anne) of Aiken, South Carolina; her brother James V. Gillespie (Mae Jo) of Olar, South Carolina; and her nephew Danny Gillespie (Geri) of Olar. She also leaves seven grandchildren - Ryan Gunnells of Kincardine, Ontario; Catherine Gunnells of Nashville, Tennessee; Falcon Baker (Christina) of Pickens, South Carolina; Zoe Baker of Columbia, South Carolina; Skye Baker of Taylors, South Carolina; Travis Edwards of Aiken, South Carolina; and Julia Harper of Aiken, South Carolina - and four great-grandchildren, Aidan, Declan, and Rylan Gunnells and Lily Baker. Baker was the daughter of the late James Franklin Gillespie and Anna Margaret Albrecht Gillespie.

"The family has entrusted Dyches Funeral Home of Barnwell with the arrangements for the Celebration of Life Ceremony on March 7th, 2026, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM," the funeral home notice states. The family also expressed gratitude to Advent Health Hospice in Palm Coast, Florida, saying, "The family thanks the nurses and staff of Advent Health Hospice, Palm Coast Florida for their loving and kind care."

Neighbors who remember Baker's cakes at church functions, her quilts at community sales, or her shifts at the sheriff’s office will gather at the March 7 ceremony to mark a life of civic service across Barnwell and Allendale County. Her obituary lists a wide circle of family from Flagler Beach to Ontario, reflecting decades of ties within and beyond the local community.