Sept. 2, 1936 – Sept. 20, 2023
Mary Alice Foremaster Gates, 87, passed away peacefully in her home in the early morning hours of Sept. 20, 2023.
Born Sept. 2, 1936, to Phillip and Emily Harmon Foremaster in St. George, her childhood was wonderful growing up in the east end of a much smaller city. She graduated from Dixie High School and then Dixie College, where she was privileged to be a Student Body Officer.
Next, she graduated from Brigham Young University earning a degree in elementary education. Upon returning to St. George, she taught first grade at East Elementary. It was during this time that she met Don Dee Gates of Santa Clara, Utah.
They were married Dec. 27, 1958, in the St. George Temple and moved to Santa Clara where they built their home and raised their family. Together, they were blessed with 6 beautiful children, Mary Dawn, Jon, Brett, Travis, Chad and Brandon.
They carried on the Phil Foremaster tradition, buying part of her father’s ranch on the Arizona Strip and being involved in the livestock business with her family for many years. Mary Alice loved being with Don, whether it was deer hunting, traveling the country, building their cabin on the Arizona Strip or working the cattle. After Don’s death in 1997, her children and grandchildren continued running the ranch.
Mary Alice has been devoted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all her life. She served in six Ward Relief Society presidencies and was a counselor in the Stake Relief Society presidency. She also served as Stake Young Women’s president. Aside from these callings, she loved teaching Sunday school and primary, but the highlight of her involvement in the church was working in the St. George Temple as an Ordinance Worker for ten years.
After the new Santa Clara Elementary School opened, she was the first PTA president. She made many lasting friendships in all these environments.
In 1988, Don and Brandon, their youngest son, planted an evergreen tree on their front lawn to fill a Cub Scout requirement. The tree was very slow growing at first, and the flowers Mary Alice planted around it were taller than the tree. She decorated it for Easter one year and the tree seemed to grow in leaps and bounds after that, hence, the “Holiday Tree” was born.
With the help of her daughter, daughters-in-law, and granddaughters, the tree has been decorated for Halloween, Christmas, Easter, and the Fourth of July, for about 35 years. We want to give a special thanks to her daughter in-law, April, for taking time to turn the “Holiday Tree” into the “Angel Tree” to honor Mary Alice’s passing.
Mary Alice has been a supporter of sporting activities her entire life. She followed children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to many sporting events. She has cheered for Dixie, Snow Canyon, Hurricane High, BYU, USU Eastern and Utah Tech. She has watched her family participate in football, tennis, soccer, basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, swimming, wrestling, track and field, cheer and dancing.
She has spent many hours supporting her family in all their hobbies. She was everyone’s #1 fan. More of her favorite pastimes included going to music and dance recitals, early morning exercising at Sand Hollow Aquatic Center with her pool pals, going to her cabin in Pine Valley, spending a week in the summer at Lake Powell, and being around the people she loved in any way she could. Her life revolved around her family. She made everyone around her feel important and loved. She was pure sunshine, as evidence of her beautiful smile. To know her was to love her as she never had an unkind word to say about anyone.
After almost 27 years, she was welcomed into the loving arms of her husband, whom she missed dearly. She is survived by her children, Mary Dawn (Tyler), Jon (Michelle), Brett, Travis (Sue), Chad (Anne), Brandon (Jody), her 27 grandchildren and spouses, 42 great-grandchildren (with 4 on the way), siblings, Marilyn and Reed Randall, Carolyn and Darrell Weber, and Howard and Annette Foremaster. She is preceded in death by her loving husband, Don, grandson, Kameron Chad Gates, parents, Phil and Emily Foremaster, and brother, Lang Foremaster.
We want to thank her special caregivers, Diana, Fran, Stacie, and Laura, for their genuine love and care. We also want to thank Lacey, Madie, Tori, and many other granddaughters who lovingly took care of Mary Alice during the last years of her life.
There will be a viewing Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, from 5 – 7 p.m., at Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 South Bluff Street, St. George, Utah.
Funeral services will be Friday, September 29, 2023, at 11 a.m., with a viewing from 9 – 10:30 a.m., prior at the Santa Clara Valley Chapel, 3040 Santa Clara Drive, Santa Clara, Utah.
Interment will be in the Santa Clara City Cemetery, Ancestor Way, Santa Clara, Utah. Arrangements are made under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S Bluff Street, St. George, Utah. 435-673-2454. Family and friends are invited to click here to leave a memory on the Spilsbury Mortuary website.