Ronald P. Gates

Mere words do not adequately describe a man’s life. Knowing that Ronald P. Gates was born in Canton, Ohio to John and Beatrice (Potts) Gates on February 9, 1931 and died in New Philadelphia on June 27, 2007 does explain who Ron was.His life can only be understood by the actions he took and the character of the man. First and foremost, Ron’s life was focused on care and concern for others. His greatest loves were God and family. He served God by quietly giving to anyone in need and by trying to live a life that could be a light to others.Ron married the love of his life, his childhood sweetheart, Mary Lou Roe, on August 12, 1950. He served his wife and family by the tender affection he showed to his wife and by being a wonderful example of fatherhood to four children.To provide for his family’s needs, he worked as many as three jobs at one time. Ron spent 39 years working for the Railroad. He retired from Con Rail which was previously known as Pennsylvania Railroad and Penn Central. Because of his love of country and desire for freedom for all, he joined the United States Army in 1949 and fought valiantly in the Korean Conflict earning many medals. Ron was a man of principle and deep courage having successfully fought the battle of cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. To all who know Ron, one could never find a more selfless, caring and generous individual. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, especially his wife Mary Lou; his children, Cindy Welch and her husband Bill of New Philadelphia, Steve Gates and his wife June of Sunbury, Ohio, F.H. Gates and his wife Becky of Brazil and Stacy Gates and his wife Barb of Savannah, Georgia; his grandchildren, Alicia (Sean) Welch Mills of Texas, Eric Welch of Virginia, Courtney (Neale) Welch Linge of New Philadelphia, Melissa Gates of Texas, Lucas (Anna) Gates of Georgia and Vanessa (Douglas) Gates Ribeiro of Georgia and five great-grandchildren, Peyton, Presley and Mia Linge and Samuel and Joshua Mills and two brothers, Bob and Charles Gates.Waiting in heaven for Ron are his parents and a brother, Dick.Family and friends may call in the Linn-Hert-Geib Funeral Home & Crematory at New Philadelphia on Saturday, June 30, 2007 from 6 to 8 p.m. and again on Sunday, July 1, 2007 from 3 to 4 p.m. A funeral service celebrating Ron’s life will be held on Monday, July 2, 2007 at 1 p.m. in the Linn-Hert-Geib chapel with Tim Hatfield officiating. Burial will follow in West Lawn Cemetery at Newcomerstown. Following the committal service, a memorial reception will be held at the Church of Christ at New Philadelphia.Contributions may be made in Ron’s memory to the Arthritis Foundation, 4767 Higbee Avenue NW, Canton, OH 44718.