Terri Gates

Terri Lynn Gates, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother entered the arms of her heavenly Father on Sunday, October 27, 2024, at the age of 69, after a brief battle with ovarian cancer. She was born on May 12, 1955, in Wichita Falls, Texas to Jimmy and Jean Hinson Smith. Terri was the middle of their three daughters.

After obtaining her BSN from Texas Women’s University in 1976, Terri began her career as a Registered Nurse at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Her calm, tender, and compassionate spirit made her an incredibly gifted nurse. She was highly beloved and respected by patients, families, and her co-workers throughout her career. Her ability to care for and nurture others was manifest to all who knew her.

Terri met her rock and lifelong love, Dr. Stephen Gates, in 1978 at Parkland Hospital, where he was a medical student at Southwestern Medical School. They were married on September 25, 1982, at Walnut Hill Methodist Church in Dallas. Over the next ten years amidst cross-country moves as a military family, they welcomed their three precious children, Stephanie, Heather, and David, to whom she remained completely devoted for the rest of her life.

Terri was a firm believer in her dear Lord Jesus Christ, and this faith was the guiding principle of her life. While raising her children, she served for many years as a teaching and children’s leader of the Bible Study Fellowship. She remained actively involved in the church throughout her life.  Although she always encouraged her children in their many athletic, artistic, and academic endeavors, her primary focus was raising them with an abiding love of the Lord.

Her family will miss her deeply, especially her husband of 42 years, Dr. Stephen Gates, daughter Stephanie Dauman (Philippe) of New York, NY, daughter Heather Lang (Simon) of Los Angeles, CA, and son David Gates (Tiffany) of Lubbock. She leaves behind four adoring grandchildren who were the light of her life: Lillian Rose Dauman, Charles Gates Dauman, George Stephen Lang, and Henry Gates Lang. Her fifth grandchild is baby girl Gates expected in April. She is also survived by her sisters, Debbie Karr and Sherri Gutierrez, and their children.

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