Donald Gates Jr. - obituary

Faribault Daily News (MN) - Saturday, June 3, 2006 1940-2006

KENYON -- Donald Gates Jr., 65, of Kenyon, died Tuesday, May 30, 2006, at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester.

Memorial services will be Friday, June 9, at 2 p.m. at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenyon, with the Rev. Luther Mathsen officiating. Friends may call Thursday, June 8, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Hanson Funeral Home and Friday one hour before services at the church.

Donald Laddie Gates Jr. was born July 1, 1940, in Rochester to Donald and Mabel (Mork) Gates Sr. He was baptized at Gol Lutheran Church and confirmed at First Lutheran Church in Kenyon. He graduated from Kenyon High School in 1958 and attended one year of college at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. On Oct. 13, 1959, he married Janice Hoidahl at Biloxi, Miss. He served with the U.S. Air Force from April 20, 1962, until his discharge on March 17, 1967. He worked as a systems engineer at IBM from 1968 until retiring in 1992. He then started his own business, Gates & Associates, which he ran until his death. Don was a member of First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Kenyon Sportsman's Club, NRA, and past school board member and Scoutmaster. He was a Vietnam veteran, member of Kenyon Color Guard, Conrad Osthum VFW Post #141, Masonic Lodge and Shrine, past Legion commander and past Minnesota State VFW commander. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and spending time with family and friends.

Survivors include his wife, Janice, two daughters, Debbie (Randy) Eggert and Laurie (Sterling) Sibley, two sons, Donny (Angie) and John (Lori), all of Kenyon; 10 grandchildren, Jeremy, Ethan, Rachel and Tyler Eggert, Shauna Sibley, Brad, Andy, Anna, Shelby and Tanner Gates, two great-grandchildren, Logan and Cooper Sibley, his mother, Mabel Gates, one sister, Mary Danielson-Gates, one brother, Rick, all of Kenyon; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

His father and granddaughter, Christy Lynn Sibley, preceded him in death.

Hanson Funeral Home, Kenyon, is handling the arrangements.

Faribault Daily News (MN) - Saturday, June 3, 2006