Diane Gates
Family and friends of Diane Gates,
On Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, we lost the beloved matriarch of our family Diane Gates. She was lively, sarcastic and ‘Gates tough” up until her last day. For those who knew her well, you would expect nothing less.
She is survived by her loving husband, Robert Gates, her four children, Tami, Teressa, Tricia and Tom, her five grandkids, Tommy, Molly, Brittany, Kaitlin and Kylie and her two twin great-grandsons Kieran and Callum and great-granddaughter Paisley and her two sons-in-law, Scott Miklos and Terry Boyd.
Diane never wanted anyone to make a fuss over her and true to form she did not want a service, but asked to have her ashes sprinkled over the beach at San Onofre, a place she lived in her teenage years and recalled often with great fondness.
Diane went to high school at Capistrano Union High School in San Juan Capistrano, California and graduated in 1955. There, Diane met her husband, Robert Gates of San Juan Capistrano. Diane and Robert settled down in San Juan Capistrano, where they raised their four children. She enjoyed family gatherings and feeding everyone and always welcomed those people who had no place to go for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Diane planned the annual family vacation to Whiskeytown in Redding, California for a summer of waterskiing and fun with their four kids, Robert and the dog. Many of you reading this joined on the vacations. Her aim was to achieve the perfect vacation, often making herself crazy along with the rest of us.
What we know is she wanted to do better for her children than what was done for her and deep in her heart she wanted everyone to be happy...and well fed.
When Diane was in her late 50s, she and Robert moved to Morgan, Utah where they built their dream home. Every room and space in their home is exactly as she wanted it and she put her entire heart into it. If something wasn't just right, she would tediously work at it until it was and then she would still say it wasn't perfect. But that was Diane, always searching for perfection. Always wanting everything to be in its place, cleaned well and cleaned often. It is a well known fact that you could eat off of her floors. Dust and carpet stains had no chance in Diane’s home.
Diane was a very loyal neighbor. If any of her neighbors needed help she was there, feisty and focused and ready to lend a hand. Many of her neighbors, friends and doctors describe her as a “hoot” or a “character” as she had her own way of expressing herself...and if you know her you know what we mean.
Her husband Robert and their children and grandchildren were with her as she passed over peacefully in her beloved home, exactly as she wanted. We know she’ll be organizing and cleaning in the great beyond and will finally achieve that perfection she was always searching for.
Diane was a fierce supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Wounded Warriors, and any organization that helped support our veterans. You can make a donation to any of those charities in her name if you feel compelled to do so, but keeping her in your heart and recalling your favorite memories of her is just as meaningful. Although Diane is no longer with us, we take comfort in knowing she touched many lives, lifted up people with her spirited candor and humor and we know her legacy lives on.
