Leland Gates Obituary
Leland Clayton Gates Jr., of Punta Gorda, Fla., died Friday, July 31, 2020. A loving husband, father of three children and four stepchildren, and blessed as a grandfather and great-grandfather many times over, Lee was 96.
Born August 16, 1923, in Hartford, Conn., to Leland Clayton Gates and Beatrice Sherman Gates, Lee was raised on the family farm and educated in a one-room schoolhouse in Weatogue, Conn. He earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Connecticut-Storrs and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
During his college years, Lee met Jane Wilhelmine Muus. Lee and Jane were married August 18, 1944. Together they raised three children, Leland Clayton "Clay" Gates III, Martha and Patti.
Lee was a banker whose passion was leading, serving and growing the communities in which he worked and lived. Early in his career, in Connecticut, these communities included Bristol, Farmington, Thomaston and West Hartford. When Lee moved to Ocean City, N.J., he joined Boardwalk National Bank in Atlantic City in charge of real estate lending. With his return to Connecticut, he served as president and chairman of South Norwalk Savings Bank in Norwalk from 1966 to 1988.
One of Lee's proudest accomplishments was growing the bank and the communities it served to the point it was viable to convert from a mutual savings bank to a publicly traded company. As the bank served much of the Fairfield County region, its name changed to Gateway Bank.
Lee's hobbies were investing, golf and travel; he was particularly interested in real estate. Together through their 58 years of marriage, Lee and Jane bought, built, often moved into and sold more than 25 properties in Connecticut, New Jersey, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Lee's real estate connections again proved fortuitous after Jane's death in 2002, in Punta Gorda, Fla. A broker friend wanted to introduce him to someone special. Lee's "second act" thus began when he met Audrey Leverenz, a longtime resident of Punta Gorda Isles and Grosse Pointe Park. Audrey's husband had passed away years earlier, after they had raised four children, John, Sue, Sally and Amy, all who had married and lived in Grosse Pointe Park with their families.
Lee and Audrey were married November 29, 2003, in Grosse Pointe Park, Mich. Lee loved the welcoming and warm embrace given to him by Audrey's family. He got right in the swing of attending grandchildren's athletic events, graduations, marriages and births and always cheered them on with his easy smile. Together Audrey and Lee hosted several family gatherings and vacations. Lee thoroughly enjoyed his 17 years of marriage to Audrey and times together with her family. He was a long time member of the Elks and the American Legion.
Lee was predeceased by his sisters, Barbara Shaw and Phyllis Backman. He is survived by his wife, Audrey; children, Leland Clayton Gates III (Felicia Fox) of Punta Gorda, Fla., Martha Gates Lord (C. Donald, Jr.) of Fairfield, Conn., and Patricia Fabrizio (Steve) of Deerfield Beach, Fla.; stepchildren, Dr. John Leverenz (Cathy), Susan Swegles (John), Sally Wittwer (David) and Amy Kish (Ken), all of Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.; sister-in-law, Ann Ashworth (Norman) of Punta Gorda, Fla.; and several grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Lee's memory may be made to the Family and Consumer Sciences Education Fund #30860 of the University of Connecticut Foundation, payable to UCONN Foundation, Attn: Data Services, 2390 Alumni Dr., Unit 3206, Storrs, CT 06269; or 1st United Methodist Church, 507 W Marion Ave, Punta Gorda, FL 33950.
Published by Sun Newspapers on Aug. 16, 2020.