(August 13, 1925-April 7, 2003)

CANTON-A funeral Mass for Francis R. Gates, 77, of 51 Spears St., will be said at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Theresa's Church, Nicholville, with the Rev. Dennis McDonald officiating. Burial with military honors will be in Black River Cemetery.

Mr. Gates died Monday in Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, Ogdensburg.

Calling hours will be 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at O'Leary Funeral Home.

He worked for the state Conservation Department at Boonville from 1949 to 1953. He also worked for Raquette River Construction Corp., Potsdam, working on Racquette River dams, South Colton, the Prospect dam project, Barneveld, and the Colton pipeline, Browns Bridge; Credle Equipment Corp., Potsdam; Lane Construction Co., Warrensburg; the St. Lawrence County Highway Department; Putman-Hawley Building Materials Co., Potsdam; Stebbins Engineering and Manufacturing Co., Watertown; Atlantic Testing Labs Ltd., Canton; Tisdel Engineering Associates, Canton, and the Standard Engineering Corp., Albany.

During his career, he served at various times as office manager, junior engineer, surveyor, plant superintendent, road maintenance foreman and fuel tank tester. He oversaw the removal and replacement of several St. Lawrence County bridges.

He was a member of Canton Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1231 and the Black River American Legion, and enjoyed drawing and building. He started a web site for the 488th Engineering Company World War II veterans. Following his retirement, he helped survey and organize St. Mary's Cemetery in Waddington and designed the ash garden at Fairview Cemetery in Canton.

Born Aug. 13, 1925, in Watertown, son of Dennis E. and Rena Fall Gates, he was valedictorian of his class of 1943 at Black River High School. He studied engineering at Clemson (S.C.) College and served three years in the Army in Europe. He received two Bronze and Silver stars, Army of Occupation Medal, World War II Victory Medal and Good Conduct Medal. He graduated from the New York state forestry school at Wanakena.

He married Mary Lounsbury on April 23, 1949, at St. Paul's Church, Black River, with the Rev. James A. Fix officiating.

Surviving besides his wife are three sons and two daughters-in-law, Michael and Diane, Oswego, Timothy and Debbie, Hedgesville, W.Va., and Martin, Las Vegas, Nev.; four daughters and three sons-in-law, Kathleen and Michael Klemens, Springfield, Ill., Cynthia and Gil Todd, Hanover, Va., Maureen Grant, Baldwinsville, and Sheila and Lon Cooley, Oswego; a brother, George, Canaan, Vt.; two sisters, Mrs. Harvey (Helen) Skeldon, Black River, and Mrs. John (Alice) Spano, Bergenfield, N.J., and 15 grandchildren.

Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.

(From the Wednesday, April 9, 2003 edition of the Watertown Daily Times, page D7).