David Stephen Gates

2021-06-06T13:12:34-05:00
Army Badge
  • Name: David Stephen Gates
  • Location of Birth: Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Date of Birth: 1928
  • Date of Death: February 24, 2018 (90 years old)
  • Parents: Stephen and Helen Gates
  • High School and Class: Hopkins High School, Hopkins, Minnesota
  • College: University of Minnesota - Bachelor's Degree in Animal Husbandry.
  • Highest Rank: SGT (Sergeant)
  • Branch: Army
  • Other Branch:
  • Date Sworn In: 1952
  • Place Sworn In:
  • Date of Discharge: 1954
  • Place of Discharge:
  • Military Awards:

  • Military Highlights:
    David was drafted by the United States Army in 1952, went to Fort Knox, Kentucky and was trained in the tank corp. He was transferred to Fort Lewis in Washington. He transferred to the Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical School in Japan via a Liberty Ship and then was sent onto Korea where the remainder of his tour was on the 38th parallel. He was assigned to the motor pool and became an expert mechanic and driver for the commander.
    After an honorable discharge, David returned from Korea to Minnesota in 1954 on the USS General C. C. Ballou.

  • Wars Involved:
    Korean Conflict

  • MIA / POW:

  • Civilian Life:
    David was the third son of Stephen and Helen Gates. He was raised on a Jersey Dairy farm near Plymouth, Minnesota.

    David started his home construction and development business.

    He married Margaret Byrd Miller on June 23, 1955.

    David ran a highly successful Gates Construction Company out of Corcoran, Minnesota and with his chief apprentice (Maggie) and sub-apprentices (the Gates mob) built and remodeled many houses in the western Hennepin County area. At the same time, with Maggie, he ran a family farm in Corcoran. He also served on the Village of Corcoran Planning Commission and was a member of the Hamel Volunteer Fire Department.

    His hobbies were many. He loved fishing and took his children on many fishing trips into northern Minnesota and Canada as well as fishing and hunting adventures in Montana, Oregon, Hudson's Bay and Alaska. He was a member of the Itasca Gun Club and enjoyed weekly shooting for many years. He restored and used many military vehicles and passed that talent onto some of his children. David served as the Grand Marshal of the 2015 Hill City 4th of July parade.

    David is preceded in death by his mother and father, and twin brothers Seward and Galen.

    He is survived by his wife, Margaret; their six children, Richard (Celia), John (Cathryn), David "Steve", Jr. (Donna), Lois, Will (Kerry) and Theodore (Linda); two grandsons; and his sister, Muriel Brandt.

    David died at his log cabin home at Pokegama Lake. No burial information is available at this time.

  • Tribal Affiliation(s):

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