Mary Hague Gates

Mary (Hague) Gates of Roseville and St. Anthony Village MN, passed away March 7, 2026. Preceded in death by husband, Clyde, parents, and brother, David. Mary is survived by her four children: Scott (Ingeborg), Dan, Elisabeth Reif (Bob), and Tim (Brenda); grandchildren: Carly DeLeu (Brad), Rachel Gates-Vickery (Ahmed), Doug (Lindie), Kelsey, Lauren Assyia (Alex), Christine Haavardsson, Jenni, Barrett Reif (Samantha), Stephen, Alexandra, and Caroline; great-grandchildren: Sophia, Piper, Majid, and new baby Claire. Mary was born December 27, 1934 in Minneapolis. She attended South High and graduated from the U of M with a degree in Psychology. Mary and Clyde met while attending a Kappa Phi social event at the U. They were married in 1956 at Simpson United Methodist Church, where she grew up and remained an active member until Simpson closed in 2019. She led Sunday school lessons, served as a trustee and on the church council, was a member of the United Methodist Women, and helped organize countless church events. Mary joined Hennepin Ave. UMC after the Simpson closure. Mary and Clyde raised their family in St. Anthony where they lived for 61 years. She was an Admissions Counselor at Metropolitan State University for 21 years. Mary was a tireless proponent of social justice issues. She advocated for peace and equality for women and girls. She was active in several organizations, including the United Methodist Church, United Women of Faith (formerly UMW), Church Women United, and the Girl Scouts of America. She held several leadership positions locally and nationally with them. She was involved with the Palestine-Israel Justice Project, Emma Norton Services, the Re-Imagining initiative, and the Religious Community for Reproductive Choice. Mary was also passionate about her SERRV sales - thanks for your help, everyone! Mary traveled internationally to Kenya and China for the United Nations World Conferences on Women, and to Singapore and Brazil as a delegate for the World Federation of Methodist Women. She and Clyde also visited Norway, Korea, Great Britain, Mexico, and the Caribbean. She enjoyed traveling throughout the US as well, especially to the BWCA with Clyde and family. Memorials preferred to Emma Norton, Girl Scouts River Valleys, Simpson Food Pantry. A Celebration of Life will be held on April 25th at Hennepin Ave United Methodist Church, 511 Groveland Ave Mpls, with gathering time at 10 am and the service at 11 am. A luncheon will follow the service. A livestream of the service will be available at https://haumc.org/live/ Washburn-McReavy.com Biography 1999 Twin Citian Volunteer Hall of Fame Mary was one of eight volunteers recognized by Mpls-St. Paul magazine as having made a difference in the community through her work with the Girl Scouts and the United Methodist Church and thus inducted into the 1999 Twin Citian Volunteer Hall of Fame. 2009 Faith and Freedom Award Mary was honored by the Minnesota Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice for her Faith-Based Dedication to Reproductive Freedom. 2010 Valiant Woman Award Mary received the Valiant Woman Award for having given service to Church Women United, her own church, and her community for an extended period of time. She is an individual who lives the Gospel message in her everyday life. A lifelong member of the Girl Scouts, she had many volunteer positions. Girl Scouts of the USA National ● National Operational Volunteer Trained board members and nominating committee members in Councils in Nevada and Montana ● Volunteer Mediator Girl Scout Council of Greater Minneapolis ● Board President, VP, and board member ● Co-Chair of the Program Committee for 75th Anniversary event at the Metrodome ● Troop leader A lifelong member of the United Methodist Church United Methodist Church National: ● Delegate to the General Conferences of the United Methodist Church ● Director of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church ● Member of United Methodist Task Groups: Palestine Israel Justice Project, Mission Personnel, and Mission Promotion Action North Central Jurisdiction: ● Delegate to the Jurisdictional Conferences of the United Methodist Church Minnesota Conference: ● Committee member on Christian Unity and Inter-religious Concerns. ● Council of Ministries and Executive Committee, delegate to Annual Conference. Metro West District: ● United Methodist Union (Builders Club), President and Vice President. Simpson UMC: Church School; teacher, superintendent, youth leader; Administrative; Administrative Council chair, Pastor Parish Staff Relations chair, Finance Committee member United Women of Faith (formerly United Methodist Women) Global ● Director of the Women's Division ● Attended World Methodist Council and World Federation of Methodist Women in Singapore (1991), Brazil (1996) and England (2001) ● Visited funded mission projects in St Petersburg, Russia (1997) National Mission Projects: ● Emma Norton Services in St. Paul, president and board member. Emma Norton Residence Transitional Housing Program for women facing homelessness. Emma's Place offers permanent, affordable housing for homeless, low-income families. ● Gum Moon Residence in San Francisco, board member ● Toberman Settlement House in San Pedro CA, board member North Central Jurisdiction: ● UMW President 1996 Minnesota Conference: UMW President 1992-1995, Vice President 1986-1992 Dean and Asst-Dean of the UMW School of Christian Mission Simpson UMC: Conducted eight SERRV International Craft sales each year with other members of Simpson UMW as a fund raiser to support their annual pledge to their church, Emma Norton scholarships, and global mission scholarships. SERRV is a self-help program for artisans in developing countries. An international non-profit organization which promotes the social and economic progress of people in developing regions of the world by purchasing and marketing their crafts in a just and direct manner. Ecumenical relations ● Church Women United, Denominational representative ● Worked with AME and CME on two WFMW events in Minnesota ● Ecumenical Decade: Churches in Solidarity with Women, serve on local committee and was co-chair of local arrangements for 1993 event ● Religious Community for Reproductive Choice, board member ● Reimagining Community, board member Other ● Attended United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing, China (1995), Nairobi, Kenya (1985) ● Mary was known to always have "House Pins by Lucinda" on her and would sell them right off of her outfit. She brought them to every meeting for women who want to support women and children homelessness. *House Pins by Lucinda are handcrafted brooches created by Lucinda Yates starting in 1988, designed to raise funds and awareness for homelessness. After experiencing homelessness herself, artist Lucinda Yates was inspired by finding discarded colorful mat boards in a frame shop's trash, which she cut into house-shaped pins and provided them to non-profits at a discount for them to sell to raise funds.

Mary Hague Gates

December 27, 1934 - March 7, 2026

Explore Obituaries &
Upcoming Services