Ouachita County Louisiana Archives Obituaries.....GATES, ROY B. March 11, 2009 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Gina Brown http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00025.html#0006026 March 14, 2009, 2:32 am News Star World - March 14, 2009 ROY B. GATES Mulhearn Funeral Home Sterlington Road, Monroe, LA Funeral services for Roy B. Gates, 92, of Monroe, will be held at 11:00 AM Monday, March 16, 2009, at St. Paul's United Methodist Church with Rev. J. Roddy Taylor officiating. Interment will follow in Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home, Sterlington Road, Monroe. ROY B. GATES, World Traveler, Avid Outdoorsman, Southern Gentleman , passed away March 11, 2009. He was born in Pollock, Louisiana, December 28, 1916, to William R. and Mabel Gates. The family , including his brothers, Billy B. Gates and Glen Gates, moved to West Monroe where Roy attended school and graduated from Ouachita Parish High School in 1935. He worked with the CCC, completing various projects, including the dam at Lake D'Arbonne, while he attended classes at Louisiana Tech. A call to serve his country led to his enlisting in the Army Air Corp, Oct. 8, 1942. He brought the first group of recruited Air Corps Specialists to Selman Field on Oct. 14, 1942. Assignments and stations include: 96th NTS, instrument specialist; Flux Gate Compass Pioneer Instrument School, Philadelphia, PA; McClellan Field, CA; 3rd AF, McDill Field, Florida. The demobilization after the war led to his Honorable Discharge from the service; but he forever loved his country and admired the men and women who have defended it. At the start of WWII, he met Blanche Burpo on New Year's Eve, 1941 and they married seventeen days later on January 17, 1941. After 53 years together, Blanche passed away November 19, 1994. After the war, he went to work with United Gas. Retired April 26, 1972, as District Manager. He was then employed as Manager of the Gas Department of Monroe Utilities. He retired as General Manager of the Monroe Utilities Commission October 31, 1978. He was employed as District Representative of Monroe System for Louisiana Gas and then retired December 31, 1982. Since retirement, he has traveled extensively, visiting every continent in the world at least once. He has been to Australia, New Zealand, and to most of the countries in Europe, and in Asia. He went to Antarctica on a German Research Vessel enjoying the majesty of the icebergs and walking among penguins. His most recent trip to Africa at age 90 included a photographic safari and a hot- air balloon ride over the Serengeti. He always marveled at the diversity of God's creation on the planet; but was always quick to say how very blessed we are in the USA!! He has had a lifetime of giving to the community through his activities in many civic organizations. He has been a member of the Lions Club for over 50 years and has held many offices and served wherever the need arose. He has been a member of the Grand Lodge of the Masons since 1946. He was a charter member of the Barak Shrine Temple and has participated in their efforts to help crippled children. For many years, he was the past director of the Royal Order of the Jesters. He has served in leadership positions in the Selman Field Historical Society, working to reunite veterans who trained at Selman Field to serve our country as navigators. Even at the advanced age of 92, he has served this year on the board of the Friends of Chennault Aviation and Military Museum. His awards and expressions of appreciation are numerous and include Monroe Mayor Ralph Troy awarding him the Pacesetter Award in 1976, and Secretary of State, Fox McKeithen proclaiming April 29, 2005, as Roy Gates Day for the state of Louisiana. His gift of laughter and his spirit of joy drew many friends to him and made the world a brighter place. He shared his wisdom, his love and his passion about the wonder of God's creation here on earth with his family. The many memories of a well-shared life will be treasured by his daughter, Peggy Corvin her husband Stan; his brother Billy B. Gates; his grandson Mack Marsh, Jr. and his sons, Hank and Robert; his granddaughter, Karen Wittbrodt, her husband Todd and their daughters, Meagan and Macy; his grandson Kevin Marsh, his wife Tammy and their children Emma and Kevin, Jr. Pallbearers will be John Dugger, James Fuller, Don Hereford, Johnny "Bo" Mitchell, Billy Laird, Bill Lensing, Michael Allen, and Todd Wittbrodt. Honorary Pallbearers are Otto Nash, W. B. Hatten, and Pete Aswell. Visitation will be Sunday from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Mulhearn Funeral Home, Sterlington Road, Monroe, and Monday from 10:00 AM until service time at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to St. Paul's United Methodist Church where he has been a member since 1957, or to the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/ouachita/obits/g/gates3182gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/lafiles/ File size: 5.3 Kb