Carl Wayne Gates

Carl Wayne Gates 1933 - 2020
Sterling, IL—The family of Carl Wayne Gates commemorates and records the death of Carl on February 29, 2020. Born to W.R. "can't sag" Gates and his wife Anna in Meredosia, Illinois on August 16, 1933, he was educated in eleven different schools as his father worked the oil fields and construction sites throughout southern Illinois. Raised by an honest laborer and his farm wife who thought education past the eighth grade was just a waste of two strong arms, Carl followed his own path and ended his formal education with "Doctor" in front of his name. He graduated from Coffeen High School and his AA degree from Blackburn College was followed with a Bachelors in Economics from Southern Illinois University and the University of Illinois. A year later, he obtained his Masters in Labor Economics from the University of Missouri. In the midst of those endeavors, he served in the United States Air Force, proud to have earned his wings as a B-25 pilot. Twenty-five years later, he received his Doctorate in Education from Northern Illinois University.
Carl put his education to work first at Northern Illinois Gas, then Nitrin Chemical and then as personnel manager for the U of I, Urbana. After moving his growing family around Illinois, he was offered a position in industry in Sterling, his wife Nancy's hometown and put down deep roots. In 1974, he realized a long held dream and joined academia as a professor of business and economics at Sauk Valley Community College, a position held until retirement.
In 1965, Carl joined with Nancy's brother, Bruce Kunde and embarked on an entrepreneurial career. Together with their kids and spouses they built by hand Albany Mobile Home Estates, and then the Washtub Laundry in Sterling. "Need to close the Tub" was the daily before-bedtime refrain for more than thirty years. They then built and still run a strip mall.
Carl's great joy was helping others find and then realize their dreams. He read voraciously and loved the world of business and economics. This and his insatiable interest in other people's lives gave him a unique ability to steer young people into promising careers that suited them and filled a societal need. The most common introduction for a friend of Carl's was "former student" and many a successful person would credit Carl's personal interest in them.
Carl loved most his wife Nancy. They met at Blackburn College as kindred souls who felt so fortunate to be in college and charting a path together out of poverty. They married in 1955 while Carl was on leave from the Air Force and he remained in awe of her, and of his luck in marrying her, for the next 65 years. Carl always remarked that Nancy looked just like Doris Day, but prettier. He asked his sons, in 2018 when he was 84, "Isn't it just remarkable how pretty your mom still is?"
Carl's second love was his children. Nancy and he raised three boys, Craig (Christine) of Spokane, WA, Gordon (Kris) of Springfield, IL and Doug (Helena) of San Jose, CA, and dedicated their lives to their happiness and success. Carl left to Nancy the task of teaching the boys to have fun, while Carl saw it as his duty to prepare his sons to be useful in the world. And then the grandchildren started coming and Carl started over. He was extremely and permanently proud of each and every one of his progeny.
A son of the gray dust farms and oil fields of Southern Illinois, Carl came to be a man of the world, traveling, admittedly sometimes only because Nancy wanted to, to twenty-one countries, six continents and all fifty U.S. states. In each, he only counted the trip a success if he could find a Filet-o-Fish and a milkshake.
Carl made Nancy's hometown his own and served as a public school board member, Rotary Club officer, Whiteside County Board Member, Chamber of Commerce member, Self-Help Enterprises Board Member, Red Cross Disaster Action Team member, Community General Hospital Volunteer and in countless other volunteering positions.
Carl's life's work was to help and protect those around him. He only passed when he was sure that Nancy, his boys and his grandchildren were prepared for life without him. He will be missed by all who had the gift of knowing him.