Ann Marie (Cates) Gilman

Ann Marie Cates was the first adopted daughter of Ray and Gertrude “Trudy” Cates—born July 24, 1940, in Salem, Oregon. Ann and her adopted sisters, twins Joyce and Judy, spent several years on Roosevelt Street in North Salem before moving to property on South River Road, where they turned a love for riding horses into a pass time. The family was very active in the Salem Saddle Club, with competitions and parades.

The Cates family were active members of Salem’s First Baptist Church. It was there that Ann met Jerry—a boy she began a relationship with in the eighth grade before marrying him June of 1959. The couple moved to Monmouth where Jerry went to school and played football for the Oregon College of Education (OCE)—now known as Western Oregon University. Son Mark and daughter Merilee were born while Jerry was in school—the first of four Gilman kids.

In the summer of 1962, Jerry finished school, and became a mathematics teacher at South Salem High School. Daughter Melinda was born in December of 1962, on Jerry’s birthday. He and Ann purchased a small home on Crowley Avenue in South Salem, where they lived for a decade.

Ann became a very active homemaker. She participated in the local Home Extension program. She worked every summer to cook jam and can fruit. She also baked dozens of cookies for her family and for activities attended by her sons and daughters. She also loved to bake homemade bread, one of her oldest son’s favorites. Her domestic activities also included sewing clothing. She was a whiz with her Singer sewing machine, and made many outfits for the family over the years. Her care for the kids also included getting them to a long list of activities, from scouting, to sports, to drama. She wanted her kids busy, not bored.

Ann also was a true servant at First Baptist Church. She was part of the Phyllis Jane Missionary Circle at the church, studying God’s word and providing support for church missionaries working on a variety of projects. She was also active in the church’s cradle roll program, knitting booties for many new infants added to the nursery over the years.

Ann’s love of music was also on display during her life, both at home and church. She was a life-long piano player, and was tinkling the ivories up until the last month of her life. She used her gift at various public functions, frequently playing during church services over the years. She also shared her love of music with her kids, encouraging them to take music lessons. Her beloved spinet piano, which was lovingly reconditioned late in Ann’s life, was donated to her care facility upon her death—a small plaque announcing who had proudly played it for so many years.

Ann and the family spent many summers tent camping (which is a LOT of work, so thank you for that, Mom) along the scenic Breitenbush River as well as wonderful times at the Cates’ cabin on Detroit Lake. Those summer days included fishing, hiking, swimming in the nearby rivers and lakes, and ravenously consuming meals lovingly made by Mom herself.

As the Gilman children began attending school, Ann and Jerry became certified foster parents. Ann took great joy in taking care of these children—first several infants awaiting placement, and later, some shelter children. She kept photo albums of all of her foster kids over the years, and always cried when they moved on to their permanent homes.

Wedged into all of this activity, in November of 1969, the Gilmans completed their family by welcoming son, Michael.

The Gilman family moved to their second house on Heather Lane in South Salem—where they lived from 1972 to 1992. The kids spent their formative middle and high school years in this wonderfully large, split-level home with a daylight basement. Ann did a great job turning that large house into a warm and delightful home.

During this same time, Jerry founded a football camp with fellow coach Marv Heater for the local youth (5th grade - juniors in high school) that he ran for 25 years. Ann was a key part of the program, running registration and organizing all that paperwork. The camp was run by the family until 1995.

In 1984, Ann and Jerry started thinking about retirement and purchased a lot at Quail Valley RV Park in Desert Hot Springs, California. They enjoyed Christmas and Spring Breaks there until Jerry retired in 1993. Their snowbird time in the desert kept them happy from Thanksgiving through March from 1994 through 2013.

Ann and Jerry also spent time traveling the world. Ann’s special trip with her mother-in-law, Anna, took them to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island in Canada, as they both shared the love of Anne of Green Gables books.

Other trips over the years included Long Island in New York with Jerry’s brother John and his wife Jeanah; Branson, Missouri, Germany, Northern Italy, Austria, another excursion to the British Isles, and a trek to the Republic of Ireland where mom enjoyed visiting with her long-time pen-pal, Irene.

1992 marked one more move for Ann and Jerry—when they purchased a brand-new home on Woodhaven Court in West Salem. The comfortable three bedroom home backed up to a wild and natural protected “green” area. Mom and Dad both loved to watch the wildlife that crawled around in their backyard: birds, squirrels, chipmunks and the occasional rabbit and deer. This was especially great entertainment for Ann during her final years at home. It was also during this time that Ann became active in honoring the nation’s veterans through the Soldiers’ Angels program. Ann would send cards of encouragement to the families of veterans and Christmas stockings every holiday season.

In mid 2020, Dad’s health took a decided downturn. Jerry had been battling multiple-myeloma (cancer), and a broken arm showed the cancer had spread. He had been Ann’s primary care giver as she dealt with a steady mental decline due to dementia. The family moved them to the Village at Keizer Ridge, where Jerry was in assisted living, and Ann was placed in memory care. Jerry passed away on October 6, 2020, at the age of 80. Ann’s mental state continued to decline, and she went on hospice care one month after dad passed. She died on August 23rd, 2021, at the age of 81. However, she did get to celebrate her birthday in grand fashion as her youngest son Mike came from Alabama to love on her one last time. Mike would tell you that for mom, he was the highlight of this birthday but reality was, the family tradition of homemade red velvet cake (made by Theresa) won out.

Ann is survived by her sister Joyce, children Mark (Theresa), Merilee Barrett (Rick), Melinda Parker (Kurt), and Michael (Katie). Eleven Grandchildren include Stephanie, Amy, Ashley, Elizabeth, Heidi, Jamie, Kristy, Jared, Blane, Zachary, and Taylor. Six Great Grandchildren: Madison, Drew, Natalie, Adi, Wolfgang and Noel.

Ann and Jerry were laid to rest at Belcrest Cemetery in South Salem.

Ann’s Memorial Service will take place at 1:00 pm, Saturday, October 2, at Salem First Baptist Church, 395 Marion Street NE, Salem. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to Willamette Valley Hospice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hed-fh.com for the Gilman family.