Sarah Danielle Gates

Sarah Danielle Gates, Griffith, IN, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, February 3rd. Sarah was born on September 1st, 1995 in Hammond, IN to Annette (Roark) Gates and Kevin Gates. She graduated with academic honors from Griffith High School in 2014. Her first job was at AMC Theaters and she rose quickly through the ranks to manager, driven by her passion for and enjoyment of the movie going experience. She loved “making smiles happen” and a while after she said “AMC ya later” to the theater, she landed a dream job at the Museum of Science and Industry. A self proclaimed “giant nerd” she loved everything about science and nature. She had a deep, abiding respect for every part of the natural world, and some of her happiest moments were spent both on the beaches of and amongst the redwoods in Northern California. She loved to travel, whether it was just a small road trip or to a place she fell in love with on a high school trip: Ireland. She was an incredibly creative person, and whether that was through painting, fashion, or makeup, she always found fantastic ways to express herself. Sarah was selfless; since she was very young, if she could share, she would. If you were feeling down she would do her level best to cheer you up. She always went above and beyond for the people she cared about; her generosity and kindness touched so many people and will always be fondly remembered. She was also very athletic, and one of her greatest joys was playing softball. Beginning in Griffith - both town ball and for school - and finishing in Portage, she would not have spent her summers any other way than with her family in the stands, and out on the field with her friends and teammates. She was a fifth generation Cubs fan and spent many a summer night in the Friendly Confines; how lucky she was to see them win the Series! She loved so many other things, and we would be remiss not to mention the important ones: her family, her fuzzy, her kitties, The Office, Rise Against, Dr. Seuss, and her Jeep, just to name a few! She was a hilarious, gorgeous, vivacious person; she, along with her big brown eyes and her beautiful smile, will be missed terribly. She is preceded in death by her great grandparents Robert and Margaret Crist, her grandparents, John Roark, and Brenda “Penny” Luis. She is survived by her parents, Annette and Kevin Gates, her Spiritualwarriorbrotha, Ashleigh Gates, her understudy sister, Rachel Dennison, her girl, Sandra Alvarenga, her Meenaw, Sharon Halas, her aunt, Susan Olson, her uncle, Chris Roark, her grandfather, Elvin Luis, her aunts, Kathy (Chris) Vogel, Julie (Jim) Uhey, Jeanne Fleek (Mike Scollard), her uncle, Dan (Melissa) Gates, and her many cousins. A memorial and celebration of Sarah’s life will be held at St. Mary’s Hildebrant Hall located at 525 N Lafayette St, Griffith, IN on Saturday, February 16th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, you can make a donation in Sarah’s name to any one of her favorite causes: Museum of Science and Industry, Cubs Care, Gift of Hope, Redwood National and State Parks. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” - Dr. Seuss. And to quote Michael Scott, “That’s what she said.”