Stephen Gates Obituary

So very sorry for your loss.

You grew from a shy, toe headed boy in a cub scout uniform, to a young man who entered the ivy covered towers of Yale and Harvard. You made your parents proud. You married Laura, and a loving partnership was born. You worked and traveled the world. When the time was right, you returned to your roots, researched, wrote about them and generously shared the history with family. You were a kind, gentle, deep thinking, fun loving, and an extremely generous man, who always stepped up to the plate. You have a nephew and two nieces who adore you. You will be sorely missed by all whose lives you touched. Rest in peace, Steve.

Kathi

Steve was one of the finest gentleman I have ever met. A terrible loss.

Steve was my first boss out of law school, and I could not have had a better boss or mentor. Steve was a good and honorable man who taught me a lot about the law and, more importantly, about people. I am grateful for the short period during which our paths crossed.

My sincere condolences to Laura and Steve's other family members.

We're so very sorry to hear of Stephen's passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you. My grandfather, Charles Gates, was Stephen's father's oldest brother.

Steve was a wonderful person and a great boss. It was a privilege to work for him and with him. I always enjoyed his wry sense of humor, his sharp and assured intellect and his courage and patience under pressure. Under his leadership in Amoco's finance department we all worked hard, made important contributions and had a lot of fun. I will miss him.

John and I were sorry to hear about Steve. His impact on the community will be felt for generations to come. We send you our thoughts and prayers. We are in England at our home in the shadow of Windsor Castle and I will light a real candle in St. George's Chapel for him and you and your family. The Chapel is the final resting place of 10 Kings of England -- it is fitting that Steve be remembered as royalty for his service to our community.
Dianne Culhane (Gibbes Strategic Plan Project)

I pray for comfort to his family and friends.

This man was a lawyer that all who knew him always enjoyed and respected. Nobody ever thought I'll of him. He is the personification of a truly good guy.

I feel blessed to have known him. My heartfelt condolences to the family.

Praying for peace to bring comfort, courage to face the days ahead and loving memories to forever hold in your hearts. My sincerest condolences to the family.

Please accept our most heartfelt sympathies for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time.

We send heartfelt sympathy to Laura and Stephen's extended family. The shock of hearing of his passing makes it difficult to find words. Stephen always showed kindness to everyone he met.

Uncle Steve-
You inspired me with your passion for family history. You were cool, calm, and always had an easy smile. Thank you for the years of research and providing me with a wealth of family knowledge I can pass along to my children. The Gates line has had indentured servants, farmers, plantation owners, teachers and soldiers. You sir, are a shining example of what it means to be a Gates. Rest Easy Uncle Steve

Steve was a true power and force in Charleston, working so hard to maintain the historic integrity of our city. It is an honor to be able call him a real friend and to have worked so closely with him on the efforts to obtain legally binding regulations on the cruise industry here. His passing is a tremendous loss for Charleston and he will be sorely missed.

Steve's passing is a huge loss to us as next door neighbor and friends, to the Lowcountry Land Trust and Drayton Hall whose causes he championed , to the community at large and to those many things that he supported with his intellect and talent. Our heart goes out to Laura and his family.

Rutledge and Kathleen Young

Remembering my brother's accomplishments, only some of which are mentioned, flooded my emotions with pride and my eyes with tears. I loved him so and shall miss him dearly

Stephen, you were from the pages of history in your love of country and
enter into that league of our forefathers of this republic "for which (the Stars and Stripes) stands". So, whenever the flag waves, your imprint in my mind
will always come. Love you always.

My brother was always an inspiration for me, the word that dignifies him
for me and the world who knew him, I'm sure, is "APLOMP". He appeared
always self-confident and assured of occurrences in his life. This quality
pushed him into a successful life and measured the friendships he loyally
kept throughout his life.

My life path left me unable to fathom that measure of self-assurance he had,
until recently; now I find a mysterious peacefulness towards life that Steve seemed to always have. I'm grateful he modeled that to me and happy that, though long in coming, I finally know his understanding.

One small funny memory:
At the beach here in Clearwater, young Steve had just bought a hamburger at
the Pavillion and was walking away with bun in hand. Suddenly a seagull
swooped down and yanked it right out of that hand. My mom recalled
that he expressed a look of amused surprise but I think, beyond that,
he probably figured the bird needed the food more than he did, so was
not left with any feeling of loss: that's APLOMP!