John Lowell Gates

John Lowell Gates, the son of William and Shirley (Cozart) Gates, was born on February 22, 1953, in Oelwein, Iowa. He was raised in Aurora and educated in Winthrop. In 1972, John joined the United States Marine Corps, serving two years in Vietnam.

     John was united in marriage to Rose Brown in 1972 and  they had two daughters, Tara and Jody; they later divorced. John married Sheri Mast in 1979 in Aurora, Iowa and together they had three children, Christopher, Melissa, and Jeremy.

     John worked for Daniel Oberbreckling doing construction and then he started his career with the Union Pacific Railroad in 1978. He worked as a traveling mechanic for 38 years, retiring in 2016.

      John enjoyed being a mechanic at work and home, working on several projects over the years, traveling with his sister, Linda Oberbreckling and he loved his two dogs, Harley and Sophie.

      John passed away peacefully at his home on Monday, June 19, 2023, at the age of 70 years. He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Linda Oberbreckling; and brothers: Chris, Roger and Robert Gates.

     Survivors include his wife, Sheri Gates; daughters: Tara (Scott) Cran of Bode, Jody Gates-Bilbrey of Independence, and Melissa (Atef) Jlassi of Webster City; sons: Christopher Gates of Renwick, Jeremy (Mary) Gates of Goldfield, and Ian Gates-McCaskey of Boone; brothers, Gerald (Diana) Gates and Allen (Debbie) Gates; sisters, Ann Gates and Janice Patton; 16 grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren.

      A Visitation will be held on Friday June 23th, 2023, from 9:00-11:00a.m., at Foust Funeral home in Eagle Grove with a memorial service to follow at 11:00 a.m.

     The family would like to invite everyone to the Rails Depot following the service for a time of sharing and a meal.     

      Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family.

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