Allen C. Gates

Allen Clair Gates, died peacefully Wednesday, August 1, 2012 with his family by his side. Allen was born April 22, 1923 in Longmont, Colorado. He graduated from Colorado A & M, now CSU, in 1944 with a degree in Civil Engineering and remained a devoted Rams fan. He married his college sweetheart, Emma Mae Long, in June 1947. Their four children enjoyed growing up in Colorado and Farmington, New Mexico. Allen worked hard throughout his life, starting at the creamery in Greeley mixing ice cream. He served in the U.S. Army Combat Engineers in WWII, as well as the Korean Conflict, and retired as a Major in 1967. As a Project Construction Engineer for the Bureau of Reclamation he worked on irrigation and water storage projects in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. He was the Project Manager at the Choke Canyon Dam and was proud to have earned a key to the city of Corpus Christi. He retired officially to Pocatello, Idaho in 1982 and from Berger International in 1990. Although he was dedicated to his work, Allen was, first and foremost, a family man who devoted many weekends throughout his life coaching and cheering at basketball, soccer, tennis, golf, and swimming events. He could always be found on the sidelines in a shaded chair and ball cap supporting his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. On April 10, 2011, he married Linda Shevalier, who added love and laughter to his final years. He is survived by his four children; Lynda Heublein, the Rev. Bill Gates, Peg Wieneke and Jim Gates; his 8 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his second wife, Linda and her sons, Derek and Jeremy, and their families. Committal Service will be Friday, September 7, 2012, 1:00 PM at Fort Logan National Cemetery, 3698 South Sheridan Boulevard, Denver, Colorado 80235. Celebration of Life will be Friday, September 7, 2012, 3:00 PM at University Park Methodist Church, 2180 South University Boulevard, Denver, Colorado 80235. Gifts may be directed to the Allen and Emma Gates Scholarship Fund at Colorado State University, https://advancing.colostate.edu/GATESSCHOLARSHIP or to The Denver Brass, www.denverbrass.org. Please share your memories of Allen and condolences with his family by selecting the ""Sign Guestbook"" link.