Mary R Gates

Mary Gates, a resident of Fort Walton Beach, passed away on May 18, 2018 surrounded by her loving family.  God called her home to be with Him and her beloved Husband, Donald.  She was born in Isabel, South Dakota, on June 30, 1923, to Harry D. and Alice F. Rogers.  She received her nursing degree from St. Luke’s Hospital in Aberdeen, South Dakota.  Mary also attended St. Louis University, and received a B.A. in Nursing Psychology from St. Leo College in Florida.  She loved nursing and held many positions in hospital nursing, working as an office nurse for several different physicians, as a Student Health Nurse at the University of South Dakota, and as a nurse at Rohr Aircraft in Chula Vista and Riverside, California.  Her husband was employed with Civil Service and she traveled with him around the world, including France, Spain, Turkey, Germany and Japan.  While in Turkey, she taught English at the Turkish War College. Don and Mary sponsored many young military couples who were new to the Air Force bases at which they were stationed, making lifelong friends.  

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Don Gates, with whom she had 65 happy years, brothers Raymond (Louise), John,  Joseph (Virginia), James (Jeanette), Paul (Barbara) and David (Patty) and sisters Ann Golay (Faber), Virginia, Barbara and Rita and nephew, Bill Gates.  She is survived by her sister Kathleen (Paul) Blank of Sebastopol, California; nephews Bob (Linda) Gates of Clarks Hill, South Carolina and Mike (Cindy) Gates of Shalimar, FL; nieces Kim (Jim) Keeler of Shalimar,  Kathleen (Rob) Ard of Fort Walton Beach, Elaine Gates of Fort Walton Beach, and Jackie Golay of Cincinnati, Ohio.   Mary and Don had no children, but they helped raise nephews Bob, Bill and Mike, and were grandparents to Sarah and Mary (her namesake) Gates.  Mary is also survived by many grandnieces and grandnephews. 

 Mary was Catholic and was always active in parish work wherever she lived.  While in Germany, she served as President of the Military Council of Catholic Women.  She was a charter member of St. Peter Catholic Church in Mary Esther, Florida and worked on many committees there. Mary’s faith in God has influenced all of her family and her many godchildren.   Mary was involved in many local organizations, including ABWA, College Women’s Club, and lifelong learning classes. She attended exercise classes three days a week up until the week before her passing.  Her family will remember her wonderful cooking, especially the traditional oyster stew on Christmas Eve and strawberry pies on the Fourth of July. Visitation will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 25th  at  Emerald Coast Funeral Home, with a rosary at 6 p.m.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Peter Catholic Church, Mary Esther, FL at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 26 followed by a Celebration of Life Reception in the Parish Hall.  Pallbearers will be Rob Gates, Robbie Knight, Austin Keeler, Trevor Ard, Matthew Gates, and Corey Ledbetter.  Mary will be interred next to her husband, Donald in the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, South Dakota. 

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