Constance Maree Clemens Gates' Obituary
Constance (Connee) Maree Clemens Gates
July 31, 1931–October 3, 2020
Connee passed away on October 3, 2020 as a result of congestive heart failure. Her family will hold a celebration of her life in the spring or summer of 2021.
Connee was born in 1931 to Neil and Velma Clemens. A graduate of Marshalltown High School and Junior College in Marshalltown, Iowa, she earned her B.A. at Grinnell College in 1953. She worked as a writer at both KFJB Radio in Iowa and at Ross Jurney Advertising in Salt Lake City. In May 1964, she married Joseph S. Gates.
Connee was a life-long volunteer and a friend to many. She loved to read, bake treats for neighbors, and hike and ski in the Utah mountains.
Connee was part of a small group that founded South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society in 1983 and also created its library, which bears her name. She was a life member of the Wasatch Mountain Club and was involved with Girl Scouts for over fifty years, during which she served as State Board Chair for five years. Connee was State President of AAUW of Utah and also volunteered with the Utah Women’s State Legislative Council and the Democratic Party.
She is survived by husband Joseph, daughters Jennifer Gourary (John) and Karin Johnson (Brooke), grandchildren Kaileigh, Bennett, Ashton, Walker, Justin, and Julia, and one of her five brothers, Michael Clemens.
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