Gary W. Bates passed away peacefully on October 15, 2020 at the age of 82. He is survived by his wife of over 62 years, Diane, three daughters (Sherrie, Linda, and Shannon), four bonus sons (Brian Corrington, John Galluzzo, John MacGillivray, and Colin Dowle), and a bonus daughter (Stephanie Counts). Gary left behind nine grandchildren (Shane, Jordan, Cameron, Samantha, Ian, Lili, Tyler, Logan and McCartney), one bonus granddaughter (Holli), and five great-grandchildren (Damien, Selena, Chase, Victoria and Donovan) who all loved him unconditionally. He was so proud of his family and loved them all dearly.
Born on February 12, 1938, in Tulsa, OK, Gary was the only child of Sam and Marian Bates. He was the pride and joy of his parents who instilled a lifelong love of camping, fishing, and hunting and passed that love down to his children and grandchildren. Gary graduated from Kennewick High School, attended Columbia Basin College and the University of Washington. He was a star athlete in football, basketball, and baseball and continued his love of sports later in life by cheering on his beloved University of Washington Huskies, Seattle Mariners, and Seattle Seahawks. We all knew when a game wasn’t going well as his favorite phrase to say was “Well, there’s your ballgame” at which point we would scatter to different parts of the house.
Gary enjoyed a successful career, working for Boeing, Eddie Bauer and becoming the first-ever retiree at Cutter & Buck. He had an amazing work ethic and the leadership and mentoring for his employees transcended the typical manager/employee relationship. It was not unheard of for former employees to show up at his home on a Sunday afternoon seeking encouragement, wisdom, and advice.
Gary met the love of his life, Diane, in September of 1957 at Mac’s Stop & Go—his beautiful “Canadian Girl” with the short, dark hair. Their love and commitment to each other has been a wonderful example of true love, through thick and thin, good times and bad. We have been blessed to witness such an amazing love story. Gary was the steady leader, the heart and soul of our family, and will be missed every moment of every day. We hope he is fishing with his dad right now and reaping the rewards of a life well-lived.
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