YADKINVILLE - Retired Sgt.
1st Class Raymond Gates died Monday, March 29, 2004, as a result of
injuries sustained in a vehicle accident.
He retired from the U.S.
Army in 1999 after 20 years of active service. He was a jumpmaster with
more than 800 jumps from military aircraft and served 17 years as a
paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, which included a combat tour
during the 1990 Persian Gulf War. He was a distinguished honor graduate
from the Army Drill Sergeant School and served a tour in the
demilitarized zone in Korea.
Retired Sgt. 1st Class
Gates was the son of Judith A. Gates and the late George D. Gates Sr.,
and was born April 9, 1961, at Fort Bragg.
He is survived by his
wife, Karen M. Gates of the home in Yadkinville; four sons, Sgt. Jarrod
Gates and his wife, Mary, of Colorado Springs, Colo., Cristopher Gates
of Mount Airy, and Ethan Johnson and Zachary Chambers, both of
Yadkinville; his mother, Judith A. Gates of Mount Airy; a grandson,
Jordan D. Gates of Colorado Springs; two brothers and sisters-in-law,
George and Linda Gates of Marietta, Ga., and Cris and Ronda Gates of
Lowgap; and a sister and brother-in-law, Mary and Dwight Coleman of
Marietta. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at noon Thursday, April 1,
at the Holy Angels Catholic Church in Mount Airy, conducted by Father
Eric Kowalski.
Entombment will follow in
the Skyline Memory Gardens Mausoleum. Family and friends will gather for
a visitation from 7 to 9 this evening, March 31, at Moody Funeral Home
of Mount Airy, with a wake service to be conducted at 8:15 p.m. by
Father Kowalski. Full military graveside rites will be conducted by the
82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. Flowers will be accepted.
(Winston-Salem Journal, Winston-Salem, NC, 31 Mar 2004,
Page 4 - courtesy of Tedd Cocker)
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