1915
Mrs.
2008
Mrs. Agnes Gates
November 8, 1915 — May 25, 2008
Agnes A. Gates of Mission Hills, Kansas passed away at her home on May 25th, 2008. She was 92 years of age. Agnes was born to Theodore and Bertha Alice (French) Kodesh in Buhl, Idaho on November 8, 1915. In later years she was adopted by her step?father, Edmund R. Acton.
Her girlhood was spent on several ranches, one a sheep ranch and the other, a wheat ranch in eastern Oregon. After graduation from Pendleton High School in 1935, she went to live with her Uncle Joe and Aunt Della Read in Portland, Oregon. Joe Read was a home builder and there she had her introduction into the world of real estate sales. She attended Behnke-Walker Business College and later worked for International Harvester for seven years where she met her great friend, Zona Garlinghouse Gookstetter. (She and Zona have remainder devoted friends.)
These were the years prior to the U.S. involvement in WWII and area residents would often go aboard Navy ships where they greeted and visited with the U.S. military personnel. It was on one of these evenings that she met Lieutenant Commander Walter A. Gates, a tall, handsome Naval Aviator from Urich, Missouri. The following is taken from a letter he wrote home to his mother, Jessie Lee Gates, in January 1940.
?So you are wondering who I visited in Portland?a Miss Acton, very sweet young lady, age 23, brunette, five feet tall, very pretty and smart as can be. She neither smokes nor drinks. She must be pretty nice if W. A. would drive 1000 miles to see her. Funny part (I) might go back again sometime. (Agnes did not know this letter existed until after Walter?s passing in 1988. She found it among old letters she was sorting.) If I get sent to K.C. this spring, she might visit me there and you could get to see her.?
After several visits and more telephone calls, Walter and Agnes were married at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels in Portland on December 12, 1942. This began 47 years of a shared life?s journey. He was her best friend and sounding board and partner in many real estate investments.
Their first child, Janice Lee, was born in Oakland, California near the Alameda Naval Air Station. While Walter was out of the country on assignment, she purchased their first home in Oakland. It was high on the hill overlooking the city. Agnes described nearby San Francisco as being like a village at that time.
Later in 1945, Walter and Agnes returned to Missouri where he resumed his career as a pilot for TWA Airlines. Housing was very difficult to find in the Kansas City area and for a year they lived in Urich and Walter commuted. They did move to Kansas City and soon after the move, a second child, Walter Anderson Gates, Jr., known to all his family and friends as ?Buddy?, arrived. That was December 11, 1947.
A grandmotherly woman named Lula M. Doll of the Urich community came to live with the W. A. Gates family and stayed for more than 10 years. She was a tremendous help in the caring of the children. Agnes and Walter owned The Gates Restaurant on Grand in downtown Kansas City for several years. It was a type of forerunner to today?s First Watch restaurants? as they too only served breakfast and lunch. Walter, when he wasn?t flying, was helping his father with the Gates Locker Plant in Urich.
The Gates? were renters for many years. Agnes was persistent in searching for just the right home?one of their own and a frequent pastime was looking at and touring homes. The children rode with her and enjoyed seeing different interiors and joined her in hoping for just the right place as well.
Once planted in Johnson County, Kansas, Agnes began to pursue a real estate career and became a salesperson with Hardin and Stockton supervised by Mr. Jack Frost selling homes within the Mission Hills and Countryside areas. Jack, in a note to her wrote after an especially challenging sale, ?You have a great future in Real Estate ?. Hardin and Stockton could not be luckier than having you a member of its family. I am very proud of you.? That was written in 1961. In April of 1962 she acquired her Kansas Broker?s License and was active until June of 2005 when she retired at the age of 89. She had founded Agnes Gates Realty. Her career in real estate spanned a total of 46 years and 8 months. She sold her company to her grandson, Timothy Scott Gates, who has kept the company name in her honor. His sister Tina assists him in running the business.
Agnes, once she acquired her Broker?s License, quickly realized that she could interest her and Walter?s golfing friends in investment properties. She had an excellent reputation among her peers, and was known for her integrity and honestly.
Those looking for raw land for future development in either residential or commercial zonings often conferred with her before making a purchase. Although she was not a native of the Midwest, Mrs. Gates knew the area like the back of her hand. She watched Olathe grow from a town of 5,000 to what it is today. Many appraisers over the years have called upon her for information about evaluations of nearby properties and trusted her judgment. She was primarily in business on her own though at various times all the members of her family: husband, daughter, son and her three grandchildren held their licenses with Agnes Gates Realty. She was a well established and successful commercial real estate broker.
Over the last 50 years Agnes watched the I-35 corridor change from rolling farmlands into multi-million dollar commercial properties. There was a deep satisfaction in her life, knowing she had a part in this progress whether as a buyer, seller or broker.
Her company was a member of the Gardner Chamber of Commerce, the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce, the Olathe Chamber of Commerce and the
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Home Builders Association. She was honored by being accepted as a Life Member in the National Registry of Who?s Who in 1998.
Her favorite pastime was gardening. She found great relaxation in working her land. Her yard was an accumulation of a variety of lovely plantings, many that she had acquired from neighbors, friends, and clients and properties that were targeted for the bulldozers after a sale was made. In among the flowers were various vegetables.
She also was an avid bridge player, and quite good at it, even though she didn?t necessarily play according to Hoyle. ?No trump? was her favorite suit as her various partners will attest. She was instrumental in establishing the Golden Girls Bridge Club, a group of widows who shared good food and great fun. The enjoyment of card playing, bridge and gin rummy was shared by Walter as well. In the 1960?s they were involved in the Non Cents Bowling League which they both enjoyed tremendously. Many of those in the league remained lifelong friends.
Golfing was the sport of her life and Walter?s. She again excelled at whatever she set her mind to do. She won many awards at Indian Hills Country Club and throughout the district. She was a Charter Member of the Kansas City Country Club District Golf Association and an excellent golfer.
She gave of her time to volunteer at Research Hospital in the Service Auxiliary when the hospital was located at 24th and Charlotte and continued after the move to the Meyer Boulevard location. She served as President of the auxiliary. She and Margaret (Mrs. Stoughton) White brought the baby picture program to the hospital as a means of earning income for the auxiliary to be used for other service projects. She resigned in 1995 after 40 years of service.
She and Walter enjoyed more than 20 years of vacationing in Maui, Hawaii during the coldest weeks of winter with his brother and sister-in law, Charles Lee and Bert Gates. After Walter?s passing, she continued to leave town in the worst of winter and vacationed in Mexico and the American Southwest with family and girl friends. Marjory Holsinger, a long time dear friend, was a great companion on many of these trips.
She was at one time a member of Village Presbyterian Church and later became a member of Belvidere Heights Baptist Church of Grandview. She was revered by the congregation for her commitment to come to church as long as she was physically able to do so. She so missed attending worship services and her many friends at Belvidere.
Her home was ALWAYS open to young and old, family or friend. She was known for her delicious cooking and never being quite able to tell you the EXACT measurements of the ingredients. It was always ?a little of this and a little of that?. Living in the crossroads of America enabled her to be ?the Hostess with the Mostest? as she was fondly called. She was greatly loved for her genuine interest in people.
She is preceded in death by: her sister, Mabel; her brother, Earl who was taken POW in the Philippines in WWII and died at sea; her husband, Walter A. Gates, and her son, Walter A. Gates, Jr. She is survived by her daughter, Janice Lee and her husband Gary D. Urton of Belton; her grandson Timothy Scott Gates, Amber and their daughter, Madelyn Michelle and son, Kiger Lee of Overland Park; her granddaughter, Tina Lynn and her husband David Lee Hobbs of McLouth, Kansas; and her grandson, Brian Joseph Willey and his wife Elena and their sons, Brett Stephen and Ian Jacob Willey who will return to South Korea in the fall. She has numerous nieces and nephews and cousins.
We want to thank two very special people who gave Agnes the BEST of care and devoted many hours to making the last of her life as special as possible, Georgia Goforth and Regina Scott. You were and are wonderful.
Flowers were her passion. Other gifts may be directed to Belvidere Heights Baptist Church, for the Capital Improvement Fund, 15109 White, Grandview, Missouri 64030 or the Urich Community Historical Society, for use in the museum and reference library, P.O. Box 105, Urich, Missouri 64788.
From Will Rogers, ?It is only the inspiration of those
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Her girlhood was spent on several ranches, one a sheep ranch and the other, a wheat ranch in eastern Oregon. After graduation from Pendleton High School in 1935, she went to live with her Uncle Joe and Aunt Della Read in Portland, Oregon. Joe Read was a home builder and there she had her introduction into the world of real estate sales. She attended Behnke-Walker Business College and later worked for International Harvester for seven years where she met her great friend, Zona Garlinghouse Gookstetter. (She and Zona have remainder devoted friends.)
These were the years prior to the U.S. involvement in WWII and area residents would often go aboard Navy ships where they greeted and visited with the U.S. military personnel. It was on one of these evenings that she met Lieutenant Commander Walter A. Gates, a tall, handsome Naval Aviator from Urich, Missouri. The following is taken from a letter he wrote home to his mother, Jessie Lee Gates, in January 1940.
?So you are wondering who I visited in Portland?a Miss Acton, very sweet young lady, age 23, brunette, five feet tall, very pretty and smart as can be. She neither smokes nor drinks. She must be pretty nice if W. A. would drive 1000 miles to see her. Funny part (I) might go back again sometime. (Agnes did not know this letter existed until after Walter?s passing in 1988. She found it among old letters she was sorting.) If I get sent to K.C. this spring, she might visit me there and you could get to see her.?
After several visits and more telephone calls, Walter and Agnes were married at the Church of St. Michael and All Angels in Portland on December 12, 1942. This began 47 years of a shared life?s journey. He was her best friend and sounding board and partner in many real estate investments.
Their first child, Janice Lee, was born in Oakland, California near the Alameda Naval Air Station. While Walter was out of the country on assignment, she purchased their first home in Oakland. It was high on the hill overlooking the city. Agnes described nearby San Francisco as being like a village at that time.
Later in 1945, Walter and Agnes returned to Missouri where he resumed his career as a pilot for TWA Airlines. Housing was very difficult to find in the Kansas City area and for a year they lived in Urich and Walter commuted. They did move to Kansas City and soon after the move, a second child, Walter Anderson Gates, Jr., known to all his family and friends as ?Buddy?, arrived. That was December 11, 1947.
A grandmotherly woman named Lula M. Doll of the Urich community came to live with the W. A. Gates family and stayed for more than 10 years. She was a tremendous help in the caring of the children. Agnes and Walter owned The Gates Restaurant on Grand in downtown Kansas City for several years. It was a type of forerunner to today?s First Watch restaurants? as they too only served breakfast and lunch. Walter, when he wasn?t flying, was helping his father with the Gates Locker Plant in Urich.
The Gates? were renters for many years. Agnes was persistent in searching for just the right home?one of their own and a frequent pastime was looking at and touring homes. The children rode with her and enjoyed seeing different interiors and joined her in hoping for just the right place as well.
Once planted in Johnson County, Kansas, Agnes began to pursue a real estate career and became a salesperson with Hardin and Stockton supervised by Mr. Jack Frost selling homes within the Mission Hills and Countryside areas. Jack, in a note to her wrote after an especially challenging sale, ?You have a great future in Real Estate ?. Hardin and Stockton could not be luckier than having you a member of its family. I am very proud of you.? That was written in 1961. In April of 1962 she acquired her Kansas Broker?s License and was active until June of 2005 when she retired at the age of 89. She had founded Agnes Gates Realty. Her career in real estate spanned a total of 46 years and 8 months. She sold her company to her grandson, Timothy Scott Gates, who has kept the company name in her honor. His sister Tina assists him in running the business.
Agnes, once she acquired her Broker?s License, quickly realized that she could interest her and Walter?s golfing friends in investment properties. She had an excellent reputation among her peers, and was known for her integrity and honestly.
Those looking for raw land for future development in either residential or commercial zonings often conferred with her before making a purchase. Although she was not a native of the Midwest, Mrs. Gates knew the area like the back of her hand. She watched Olathe grow from a town of 5,000 to what it is today. Many appraisers over the years have called upon her for information about evaluations of nearby properties and trusted her judgment. She was primarily in business on her own though at various times all the members of her family: husband, daughter, son and her three grandchildren held their licenses with Agnes Gates Realty. She was a well established and successful commercial real estate broker.
Over the last 50 years Agnes watched the I-35 corridor change from rolling farmlands into multi-million dollar commercial properties. There was a deep satisfaction in her life, knowing she had a part in this progress whether as a buyer, seller or broker.
Her company was a member of the Gardner Chamber of Commerce, the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce, the Olathe Chamber of Commerce and the
continued...
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Next
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Home Builders Association. She was honored by being accepted as a Life Member in the National Registry of Who?s Who in 1998.
Her favorite pastime was gardening. She found great relaxation in working her land. Her yard was an accumulation of a variety of lovely plantings, many that she had acquired from neighbors, friends, and clients and properties that were targeted for the bulldozers after a sale was made. In among the flowers were various vegetables.
She also was an avid bridge player, and quite good at it, even though she didn?t necessarily play according to Hoyle. ?No trump? was her favorite suit as her various partners will attest. She was instrumental in establishing the Golden Girls Bridge Club, a group of widows who shared good food and great fun. The enjoyment of card playing, bridge and gin rummy was shared by Walter as well. In the 1960?s they were involved in the Non Cents Bowling League which they both enjoyed tremendously. Many of those in the league remained lifelong friends.
Golfing was the sport of her life and Walter?s. She again excelled at whatever she set her mind to do. She won many awards at Indian Hills Country Club and throughout the district. She was a Charter Member of the Kansas City Country Club District Golf Association and an excellent golfer.
She gave of her time to volunteer at Research Hospital in the Service Auxiliary when the hospital was located at 24th and Charlotte and continued after the move to the Meyer Boulevard location. She served as President of the auxiliary. She and Margaret (Mrs. Stoughton) White brought the baby picture program to the hospital as a means of earning income for the auxiliary to be used for other service projects. She resigned in 1995 after 40 years of service.
She and Walter enjoyed more than 20 years of vacationing in Maui, Hawaii during the coldest weeks of winter with his brother and sister-in law, Charles Lee and Bert Gates. After Walter?s passing, she continued to leave town in the worst of winter and vacationed in Mexico and the American Southwest with family and girl friends. Marjory Holsinger, a long time dear friend, was a great companion on many of these trips.
She was at one time a member of Village Presbyterian Church and later became a member of Belvidere Heights Baptist Church of Grandview. She was revered by the congregation for her commitment to come to church as long as she was physically able to do so. She so missed attending worship services and her many friends at Belvidere.
Her home was ALWAYS open to young and old, family or friend. She was known for her delicious cooking and never being quite able to tell you the EXACT measurements of the ingredients. It was always ?a little of this and a little of that?. Living in the crossroads of America enabled her to be ?the Hostess with the Mostest? as she was fondly called. She was greatly loved for her genuine interest in people.
She is preceded in death by: her sister, Mabel; her brother, Earl who was taken POW in the Philippines in WWII and died at sea; her husband, Walter A. Gates, and her son, Walter A. Gates, Jr. She is survived by her daughter, Janice Lee and her husband Gary D. Urton of Belton; her grandson Timothy Scott Gates, Amber and their daughter, Madelyn Michelle and son, Kiger Lee of Overland Park; her granddaughter, Tina Lynn and her husband David Lee Hobbs of McLouth, Kansas; and her grandson, Brian Joseph Willey and his wife Elena and their sons, Brett Stephen and Ian Jacob Willey who will return to South Korea in the fall. She has numerous nieces and nephews and cousins.
We want to thank two very special people who gave Agnes the BEST of care and devoted many hours to making the last of her life as special as possible, Georgia Goforth and Regina Scott. You were and are wonderful.
Flowers were her passion. Other gifts may be directed to Belvidere Heights Baptist Church, for the Capital Improvement Fund, 15109 White, Grandview, Missouri 64030 or the Urich Community Historical Society, for use in the museum and reference library, P.O. Box 105, Urich, Missouri 64788.
From Will Rogers, ?It is only the inspiration of those
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