Patricia Gates

Patricia Jo (Bunck) Gates, age 82, of Atchison, KS, died on August 2, 2025.

Mass of Christian burial will be Thursday, August 7, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Church with Rev. Jeremy Heppler, OSB, as celebrant. A lunch will follow the mass at the church hall. A parish rosary will be on Wednesday evening Aug. 6th at 5:30 p.m. at the Arensberg-Pruett Funeral Home with visitation to follow until 7:00 p.m. She will be laid to rest at All Saints Cemetery in Everest, KS. Memorials may be left to St. Benedict Catholic School. Cremation care has been entrusted to the Arensberg-Pruett Funeral Home.

Patty was born on May 7, 1943, in Everest, KS, the daughter of the late Edward Bunck and Mary (Miller) Bunck. She is a graduate of Everest High School in 1961 and furthered her education at the Clark School of Business in Topeka, KS.

She married William Gates on September 29,1962, at St. Joseph's Church in Everest, KS. Together they began their family and Patty cherished her role as a wife, mother and homemaker. She was passionate about her sewing abilities and loved to collect sewing memorabilia and attend quilt shows.  She was a fantastic baker and enjoyed reading. Patty and Bill enjoyed traveling together, but the destination was always going to be somewhere warm, especially the Tropics. Patty loved the role of grandmother and was blessed with the ability to be able to help raise her grandchildren like her own.

She is survived by her husband, William Gates; her daughter, Sarah (Chase) Mata; her grandchildren, Shelby Mata, Rory Mata and Catherine Mata; her siblings, Annette Bunck, Janice (Jack) Lott, Michael (Karen) Bunck; and her numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.