Michael Crawford Gates

Michael (Mike) Crawford Gates, of Fort Collins, died peacefully at Poudre Valley Hospital of complications of Covid-19. He was 62.

Mike was born to Melvin and Barbara Gates and was the youngest brother to sister Shelly and brother Mark. He was raised in Del Norte, Colorado and graduated from Del Norte High School in 1977. After high school Mike moved to the Denver area to continue his education and see a bit more of the world. He married Betty Buch in 1984 and adopted his first two children, Jon-Mikel and Alicia, in 1985. The birth of his daughter Whitney followed in 1986. After divorcing in 1991, he married Barbara Olson in 1995, and together they adopted two more daughters, Hannah and Makayla. Mike had an open heart and love to share with everyone he cared for. Mike worked for Otter Box for many years in information technology and was truly proud of his work and his employer; the family wishes to thank Otter for their support during this time.

Mike was a devout Christian and attended Citipointe Church in Loveland. He was also an avid Colorado Eagles fan and held season tickets since their very first season. He enjoyed getting to go to hockey games with his daughters, especially with Whitney. He also enjoyed the outdoors, and treasured many weekends spent fishing with his brother across the state. Mike loved to hike, camp, and toss around a football. He also loved tinkering with computers and other electronics. Mike loved having pets, and was pet-dad to several cats and dogs over the years. One thing that was always evident about Mike was the tremendous amount of love that he had to share, and that he shared freely and willingly.

Mike is survived by his parents, Mel and Barbara Gates, his brother Mark Gates, his sister Shelly Vanderpool, his wife Barbara and his children: Jon-Mikel Tuttle-Gates and his husband John, Alicia Guardado and her husband Andrew, Whitney Jiles and her husband Patrick, Hannah Gates and Makayla Gates; and by his grandchildren Reilly Guardado and Drew Guardado.

The family would like to thank all of the doctors and nurses at Poudre Valley Hospital for their kindness and care, and they would like to thank all of Mike's friends, coworkers, and family for their support during this hardship.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Mike's honor at 3:00 pm on Friday, January 7th, 2022 Christ United Methodist Church in Fort Collins. It will be live streamed here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82042151907

An additional memorial for family and friends in Del Norte will be held in the spring, date to be determined. Flowers may be sent to Goes Funeral Home in Fort Collins, and a GoFundMe ( https://gofund.me/52e8b303 ) has been established to help the family during this time.