March 8, 1955 – October 25, 2022

Gale Vagneur Gates passed away on October 25th, after a six-month battle with cancer. She passed peacefully surrounded by family.

Gale was born March 8, 1955, to Geri and Clyde Vagneur in Aspen Valley Hospital. She was a force of nature—a caring mother, a devoted sister, and a dear friend to many over the course of her 67 years in Aspen and the Roaring Fork valley.

Gale loved all animals; she grew up riding horses, always had dogs and cats underfoot, and was an avid bird watcher her entire life. Gale was a passionate and active rafter, who ran rivers throughout the western U.S. with her siblings (sister Kit Brown, brother Ken Vagneur and his wife Sally Vagneur) and ex-husband, John Gates. She was a kind and devoted mother to her two sons, Emmo and Jesse, and loved to bake and cook for all her family and friends. Gale was fueled by her creativity and a lifelong appreciation for arts and crafts. She traveled the world and collected local art, which she cherished and displayed proudly for many years.

Gale’s family invites any who knew her to bring a memory of water to their minds, and find solace in contemplation of the following Navajo prayer:

In beauty I walk. With beauty before me I walk. With beauty behind me I walk. With beauty above me I walk. With beauty around me I walk. It has become beauty again.

Gale is survived by her sons, Emmo and Jesse Gates, her sister, Kit Brown, and her sister-in-law, Sally Vagneur. A celebration of life is planned for the coming summer.