OBITUARIES

ALICE TAYLOR
August 8, 1906-April 20, 2003

Alice Taylor passed away peacefully in Bellingham on Easter morning, April 20, 2003. She was 96, almost 97. Alice was born August 8, 1906 in Point Roberts, to William and Leala Taylor.
Her father was one of the first settlers to homestead at the Point. Their home was located at South Beach. Alice often talked of her childhood days up at the Point, swimming in Boundary Bay, family gatherings, going to the Trinity Lutheran Church and going to school in a one room school house. Her family went up there often over the years and she remembered everything. She pointed out where the blacksmith used to be, etc. She moved to Bellingham after her father died in 1923 and finished high school at Whatcom high school. She was very proud of this fact as being the oldest of 10 children she was the one who had to miss school to care for her younger siblings.
Alice had a very happy and fulfilled life. She was preceded in death by her late husbands, Marion Edwards and Ralph Spaulding and mother and father and siblings, John Taylor (Ferndale), Mary Taylor (Point Roberts), Grace Ozier (Bellingham) and William Taylor (Everett). She is survived by a sister Elizabeth Granger (Sumner), James Taylor (Juneau, AK), Dan Taylor, Tom Taylor and Patrick Taylor of Bellingham, son Marion Edwards, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren.
She was loved very much during her life and will missed by everyone who knew her. She had such a kind and gentle spirit and the sweetest nature. Services were held on April 24 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Bellingham. The family is holding graveside service on August 9 at the Point Roberts cemetery. ¶

ROGER FRANCIS GATES
December 30, 1936 ­ April 3, 2003

Point Roberts resident Roger Gates passed away quietly at home on April 3 from pancreatic cancer. Well loved by his many friends, he is survived by his canine companion, Charlie (who now lives with Kiera Miller and Jerry Aherne of Point Roberts); girlfriend Judy Westerberg of Tsawwassen; daughter, Gretchen Grivel of Bend, Oregon; son, Randy Gates of Chicago, and four grandchildren.
Roger was born in 1936 in Portland, Oregon. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science in history from Portland State University. After serving in the U.S. Navy in Japan, he later returned there to teach English as a second language. Roger was a wanderer, traveling extensively in Europe and in Central and South America. He enjoyed Slovenia and Mexico in particular. Roger loved to sail, he once owned a boat and before retiring, taught fourth grade in Astoria, Oregon.
Roger was known for his volunteer work at OWL (Orphan Wildlife) Rehabilitation Society in Ladner, offering education classes about raptors twice a week for many years. He and Charlie participated in the pets & friends visitation program program at the Kinsmen retirement center and were a well-known sight at Lighthouse Park, where they walked each morning. A volunteer at the Point Roberts friends of the library, Roger was an author and an activist, eagerly supporting efforts to maintain Point Roberts’ rural character. A local resident for seven years, Roger felt he found his community here on the Point. Interested in local politics, he also wrote letters for Amnesty International and enjoyed listening to the stories of the Point’s longtime residents. His many friends will mourn his passing.
A bench in memory of Roger for Lighthouse Park is planned. A memorial wake/bench warming party will be held at noon, July 5 at Lighthouse Park. Call 945-1266 for more information. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Point Roberts Wellness Center in Roger’s memory. Donations to the Roger Gates Memorial Bench fund can be sent care of Rose Momsen, 1365 Gulf Road, Point Roberts, WA 98281.

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