David Neil Gately, 86, of Wichita Falls, TX, passed away while in hospice care on October 20, 2023. A Memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM, Saturday, December 2, 2023 at the First Christian Church with Dr. Mark Bender and Dr. David Hartman officiating. Inurnment with Military Honors will follow the service in the church columbarium.

David was born in Coffeyville, KS on November 14, 1936, to Louis Neil and May Pearl (Jackman) Gately. He attended schools in Fort Smith, AR and Dallas before the family settled in Waco, TX, where he graduated from Waco High School in 1955. Immediately after graduating from Baylor University with degrees in accounting and economics, he reported for USAF pilot training at Bainbridge Air Base, GA. After receiving wings at Webb AFB, Texas, David flew C-124 transport aircraft based out of Travis AFB, California. Later he was assigned to the Auditor General Office at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska from 1963 to 1965.

A post-military career as a controller with Sears, Roebuck & Co. brought David and family to Wichita Falls, TX in 1977. However, he found his true calling as an agent with New York Life from 1982 until his retirement in 2019. David lived a life of service as an elder and board member at First Christian Church, Wichita Falls. He was a Mason, a member of the Downtown Rotary Club and served on the boards of Rolling Meadows retirement community and the Salvation Army. Professionally, he served as President of the Texoma Life Underwriters and Texoma Health Underwriters Associations. Besides his family, he loved a good dining experience  (just ask him about a red snapper he had in New Orleans 30 years ago), the Texas Rangers, dressing well and golfing with good friends. To play him in Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Hearts, or Spades was to taste defeat.

David was preceded in death by his parents and by his brother, Paul Gately. He is survived by wife, Catherine, children Amy Inabinette (Joe) and Neil Gately (Jennifer), grandchildren David and Jackson Beare, Luke and Paige Gately, brother Steven Gately (Gloria),  sisters-in-law Sandy Gately and Connie Caldwell (John Thomas), various nephews and a niece.

The family would like to thank the consummate medical professionals who cared for him, to include first responders and ambulance crews, the nurses and therapists of Healing Hands, who kept him as mobile as possible in his later years, and the caring staff at Hospice of Wichita Falls, who attended to him in his final days.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers or gifts, donations be made to First Christian Church or Hospice of Wichita Falls.