November 23, 1931 – March 10, 2023

On March 10, 2023 at the age of 91, Margie Loretta Gates, affectionately known to her family as “Narme”, was delivered to the Lord in the company of her loved ones from Valley View Hospital. Margie often quipped that she had been blessed to live such a full life that somebody needed to write a book entitled “Poor, Little, Rich Girl” about her.

Margie was born to Ammi and Nannie Hoyt on November 23rd, 1931 on the Wolcott Divide in Colorado. She came from a very modest background in the middle of the Great Depression, which played a part in living a life rich with love. Margie primarily grew up in Gypsum, Colorado, attending the local Gypsum schools before attaining a nursing degree from the Colorado School of Nursing in Denver, which set in motion a career in nursing that lasted more than 40 years. After spending time as a nurse in both Denver and Gilman, Colorado, Margie took a short break before returning to the profession as the Director of the Public Health Department for Eagle County, a position she held for 30 years. During this time, she frequently provided services to the schools across Eagle County which included traveling to Basalt. Her seemingly unparalleled commitment and dedication to providing health services to her community culminated in 1991 when she was honored with the Florence Nightingale Nursing Award for her exemplary work, the single highest international distinction for a nurse. Margie’s career and guidance also inspired many to pursue nursing as their life’s work.

On July 11th, 1952, Margie married her childhood crush and the love of her life, George “Bud” Gates in Denver, Colorado. They raised their five children, Frank Kipling Gates, Douglas Darnell Gates, Vienna Sue Sours, Nancy Lorraine Becker, and Tami Ellen Lyon, between Burns, Colorado on the family ranch, and Gypsum. During this time, Margie and Bud had to make many sacrifices to ensure that they were able to properly manage their ranch and finances, while getting their children an education. Bud, for a time, would drop Margie off in Bond and she would ride the train to Denver for her nursing job. As the children got older and were involved in sports and other activities, Margie and the children would spend the weeknights in Gypsum and reunite with Bud on the weekends. In their later years, Margie and Bud enjoyed visits from their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, entertaining them with horses, fishing, card games, and endless stories and laughs. Most importantly, they worked diligently to share their faith in Jesus Christ with their loved ones and passed along values like hard work, loyalty, and never ending love. Margie was a very dedicated wife and mother that held high expectations for those she loved as she mastered a balance of being both tough and compassionate.

Margie is preceded in death by her parents Ammi and Nannie Hoyt, brother Royce Hoyt, husband, George “Bud” Gates, son-in-law, Don Sours, niece, Linda Roehm, nephew, Jim Hoyt, and three great grandchildren, Milo Rodriguez, Kadence Gates, and Ada Koster.

Margie is survived by her sons, Kip Gates (Leslie), Douglas Gates (Kelly), daughters, Vienna Sours, Nancy Becker (Mark), and Tami Lyon (Dewey), 17 grandchildren, 35 great grandchildren, as well as multiple nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A funeral service will be held on March 25th, 2023 for Margie Gates in the Eagle Valley High School Auditorium at 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to either the Soroco FFA Scholarship Fund or the Eagle Valley High School Nursing Program.