Barbara Ann (Green) Gates

Barbara Ann (Green) Gates
Fort Pierce, Florida

Barbara Ann (Green) Gates, 92, of Fort Pierce, Florida, passed away Oct. 22, 2020, while at her home.

Barbara, known lovingly to her grand and great-grandchildren as “Bege,” was born in Painesville, Ohio, on Friday, April 13, 1928, relocating by boat in 1943 to join her family in Florida. She was also a seasonal resident of Highlands, North Carolina, for over 40 years.

A former runner-up for Miss Fort Pierce, she was an avid golfer, tennis player, swimmer, skier, and bridge player, and was a member of many clubs and organizations, including being a founding member of the Pelican Yacht Club and a member of Indian Hills and Highlands Falls country clubs. She took great pleasure in enjoying travel and the arts with her beloved husband, the well-known citrus grower and civic leader Philip “Phil” C. Gates.

Barbara dedicated herself to the community through youth and church services—organizing various fund drives, children’s health work, and teaching Red Cross lifesaving for 17 years—and was widely recognized for her outstanding leadership. She served as chairman of the United Fund Home Division, chairman of the Florida Chain of Missions, long-time member and past president of the local PEO Chapter AR, president of The Church Women of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, and was twice named president of the State Welfare Board’s District 10 by governors Collins and Bryant. In 1965, Barbara was the Fort Pierce Junior Woman’s Club Outstanding Young Woman of the Year, and in 1969 she was the second woman to be awarded the Lions’ “Man” of the Year Award.

A staunch believer in the importance of education, Barbara was perhaps most proud of her involvement in founding a school at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Through fundraising efforts, the dream of a day school became the reality of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Academy in 1970, and Barbara served on the first school board, establishing curriculum and policies.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Philip C. Gates; her parents, Shalor and Marie Villetta (Moodie) Green; her twin sister, Patricia Green; and her granddaughter, Marina Gates.

Survivors include her children, Philip “Flip” C. Gates, Jr, of Fort Pierce; John K. Gates of Jensen Beach; David S. Gates and his wife Diane of Fort Pierce; and Harriet Gates Kretschmer and her husband Mike of Palm Coast; her grandchildren, Philip Gates, III; Kristen Gates Murray; Carly Gates; Mira Gates Garwood; Jesse Gates; and Dana Gates; eight great-grandchildren, Mattson, Harrison, Presley, Shalor, Kaitlin, Meagan, James, and Natalia; and two great-great-grandchildren, Trey and Jacob. There will be a memorial service at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Fort Pierce, Florida, on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, at 10:00 AM. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Barbara’s memory to one of her favorite organizations: St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church/ St. Andrew’s Episcopal Academy, both at 210 S. Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida 34950, or PEO Chapter AR Education Projects, c/o Mimi Brown, 3117 S. Indian River Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida 34982.