Kevin C. Gatons

1960 - 08

Kevin C. Gatons, 46, of Greensburg, died Friday, Nov. 3, 2006, in Hershey. Born Aug. 29, 1960, in Greensburg, he was a son of Terrence C. and Patricia A. Heimann Gatons. He was a fifth-grade teacher at Hutchinson Elementary School in Southwest Greensburg. Kevin was a member of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral. He graduated from Hempfield Area High School, Class of 1978, and St. Vincent College, Class of 1982, where he was class president and was currently working on obtaining his principal's certification. For the past 12 years, he had been the assistant coach for the Greensburg Salem Cross Country and Track teams. Prior to becoming a teacher, Kevin worked for Peoples Gas in Pittsburgh. Both he and his wife were avid runners and, most recently, he ran in the Boston Marathon this past spring. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Charles and Laura Gatons; and his maternal grandparents, George and Josephine Heimann. In addition to his parents, he is survived by his wife of eight years, Cheryl M. Collins Gatons; three children, whom he loved more than anything, Sydney, Quintin and Lillian Gatons; a brother, Michael Gatons, of Greensburg; two sisters, Susan Rhome and husband, Barry, of Greensburg, and Elizabeth Clement and husband, Mark, of North Hills; parents-in-law, John and Susanne Collins, of Plum Borough; three sisters-in-law, Laura Lewis and husband, Joseph, of Wintersville, Ohio, Suzanne Miller and husband, Jay, of Alamo, Calif., and Jennifer Nye and husband, Phillip, of Vero Beach, Fla.; a brother-in-law, Jeffery Collins and wife, Carla, of Allison Park; his aunts and uncles, Varlee Stairs, of Norvelt, Robert and Janet Linden, of Youngwood, and Robert and Nancy Haines, of Latrobe; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Relatives and friends are invited to celebrate the life of Kevin from 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in the CLEMENT L. PANTALONE FUNERAL HOME INC., 409 W. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg, 724-837-0020. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Greensburg. (Everyone is asked to please go directly to the church for the Mass.) Interment will follow in St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, Trauger. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Gatons Children's Trust Fund, c/o National City Bank, 800 E. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg, PA 15601, or the Hutchinson Elementary School Playground Fund, 810 Welty St., Greensburg, PA 15601. For online obituaries and directions, please visit us at www.pantalone.com. Natale N. Pantalone, supervisor.