Tom was the son of Maurice "Sid" and Margaret (Seelhoff) Gates and was a lifelong resident of East Lansing/Haslett.
He was a 1954 graduate of East Lansing High School and a 1958 graduate of Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Residential Building and was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity. It was at MSU that he met the love of his life, a pretty Sigma Kappa named Sally Gilman. Tom and Sally were married on December 6th, 1958 and were blessed with three children, Jalonn Sue, Jeffrey Gilman and John Sidney.
During his childhood, Tom enjoyed spending summers at the family cottage on Houghton Lake --- something he continued to enjoy with his own family well into adulthood. At age sixteen, he learned how to build and fly large scale model airplanes and competed in contests throughout the country. It was a hobby that he insisted kept him from getting into too much trouble as a teenager and a passion that he enjoyed well into his 70’s.
Tom spent his career as a talented homebuilder/remodeler, gaining much of his design style from Colonial Williamsburg. He was also an avid sailor and he loved the game of golf. Golf was a game that brought him together with his sons, grandsons and friends and inspired many cherished memories. Tom was an active member of the Lansing Jaycees for many years as well as the Lions Club, giving back his time after being the first double cornea transplant recipient in Michigan.
Tom’s greatest joy was spending time and sharing his home, hobbies and passions with his children, Jalonn, Jeff and John, daughter-in-law, Elyse, and 7 grandchildren, Connor and Chandler Gates and Megan, Thomas, Lauren, Ben and Sam Utter. He was blessed in November with a great grandson, Noah Reese Gates.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents; his granddaughter, Kathryn "Katie" Elizabeth Utter; and his wife of 17 years, Sally Gilman Gates.
Memorial services will be held on Thursday, August 29th at 4 pm at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 1315 Abbott Road in East Lansing. The family will receive friends one hour prior to services at the church.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial contributions be made in Tom’s honor to the Alzheimer’s Association, 564 S. Main St., Suite 200, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.
The family is being served by Gorsline Runciman East Chapel, East Lansing.
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