I just found out about Mike's passing and I'm still in a state of disbelieve. I worked with Mike for several years with USDA Farm Service Agency. We also had many adventures outside of work. The ones that come to mind are camping with our families, hiking 14teeners, Friday afternoon happy hours, and CSU football games. Mike was a character, and you never knew what to expect. He was a great bullshitter so you never knew if he was serious or not. Even though he was a bullshitter when he was serious, he was usually right. I would never bet against him. 

Mike was dedicated to his family and I was fortunate enough to get to know his family. I was amazed at how well he communicated with his kids and how he always supported them. My family was lucky enough to be able to spend some time with Mike's family during many camping adventures. I remember spending many a night sitting around the campfire with his family and then after they all went to bed Mike and I stayed up well past midnight solving all of the world's problems and bullshitting. 

Mike introduced me to climbing 14teeners. Together we climbed Torreys and Greys, Mt. Bierstedt, and Longs Peak. We shared many stories during our hikes and I will always cherish those memories. One thing we always did when we summitted a mountain was to share a beer. Most people at the top thought we were crazy....which we probably were.

Mike and I loved Friday afternoon happy hours. You could always find us on Friday afternoons at either a local bar or Mike's house indulging on a cool beverage.....usually beer but an Irish Whiskey was usually involved as well. Many Friday afternoons we would call a emergency staff meeting and drag our boss to a bar and solve all our issues. It was a great Team Building exercise.

One shortcoming of Mike's was that he rooted for the New England Patriots. Being a Denver Bronco fan my whole life and listening to Mike cheer for the Patriots was hard to deal with but we did share a common interest in CSU. We enjoyed watching the CSU games together and hopefully we could find someone to drive us home because we also enjoyed the pregame festivities and post-game festivities a little too much. 

We lost touch with each other a few years ago and I regret not trying to reconnect. Mike was good man with a kind heart. He will be missed!

Sending the Gates family our deepest sympathies for your loss.

With love and care,

Alexis Blackburn-Rose and Daniel Reisner

I worked with Mike for more than 15 years and am extremely saddened by his passing.  Anyone who ever knew Mike knows those 15 years weren't all perfect, we had many ups and downs over that time.  Working with Mike was always an adventure and I was never quite sure what to expect on any given day, but that's part of what made him so unique.  We ultimately formed an extremely strong relationship for which I will always be grateful.

To this day, Mike is the only customer I have ever worked with who insisted on me joining him in his home so he could grill me a steak for dinner (rather than going out to a nice restaurant, which I would have gladly paid for).  He also had a case of my favorite beer at the time, Fat Tire, already on ice.  I was always impressed by his generosity.  Mike will be greatly missed!