Obituary of Pam McLeland Gates

Pam McLeland Gates, 55, passed away on February 12, 2010, after a lengthy battle with cancer. Funeral services are scheduled for Monday, February 15, 2010, at 2:00 PM at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, 215 Mt. Vernon Church Road, West Monroe. Church office phone number is (318) 323-0055. Interment will follow at Mt. Vernon Cemetery, adjacent to the church. Reverend Mickey Bounds and Reverend Chad Ballard will officiate. Visitation will be Sunday, February 14, 2010, from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Golden Funeral Home, 2016 East Madison Ave., Bastrop, LA, telephone (318) 281-3174. Pam was born January 11, 1955, at St. Francis Hospital in Monroe, LA to Francis T. McLeland and Laverne Gould McLeland. Pam attended Lexington Elementary, Lee Junior High, Neville High School and NLU. Pam spent much of her married life as a stay-at-home mom and taking care of other people's children. The children loved Pam. When working outside the home, she did accounting and secretarial work for several churches. Devoted to her Lord Jesus Christ, her husband, her family and a multitude of friends, Pam was very sweet, kind, thoughtful and caring to everyone and to know Pam was to love her. A high school classmate described her as "a gentle soul." If someone had a prayer need, they would call Pam and she would call everyone she knew and ask them to pray for the person's need. She enjoyed visiting on the telephone, celebrating the Christmas season and decorating her home for all major holidays and then sharing it with her family and friends. She especially loved shopping with her mother. Pam was preceded in death by her father, Francis, and her father-in-law, Walter Gates. Pam is survived by the love of her life, husband of 34 years, Gerald Gates, whom she met while they were both employed at JC Penney, Co. during their college days. Pam is also survived by sons David, Brian and Eric Gates; her mother, Laverne Gould McLeland; two sisters, Donna Morrow and Janice Worley and husband, "Bubba"; nieces and nephew Maranda and Ben Green, Brandi Worley, Christopher Noel, Jr. and Deborah, an uncle, Lavelle McLeland, and mother-in-law, Shirley Gates. Pallbearers will be deacons of Greenacres Baptist Church, where her husband serves as Minister of Music. Memorials can be made to Greenacres Baptist Church, 6370 Mer Rouge Rd., Bastrop, LA 71220.