This is to announce the passing of Craig Allen Gates aged 67. He and his wife Donna Gates (McDade), passed away on Friday May 1st in a tragic car accident in Wyoming.

Craig was born in Madison, Wisconsin on February 21, 1959, to Carol Jane (Schulenburg) and Neil Stanley Gates. In 1963 he and his parents left Wisconsin and moved to Colorado. Craig loved growing up in Colorado where he participated in boy scouts, won many karate championships, and treasured the camping trips he took with his family.

Throughout his life he was an enthusiastic skier and enjoyed boating, fishing and gardening. After high school he began working as an apprentice for DRD where he learned the skills to be a steam fitter. Steam fitting became his lifelong trade and he retired from MTECH, a respected tradesman who had mentored many others in the field. After retiring Craig finally started to relax and return to his passion of traveling.

On November 15, 2025, Craig married his wife Donna Jean Gates (MacDade), his lifelong soul mate. He and his wife recently went on a trip where he went scuba diving and had the thrill of riding in a helicopter. Craig was always up for an adventure when he wasn’t working on some project around the house. Anyone who knew Craig, knew he would give you the shirt off his back.

Craig is survived by Donna’s children Amanda Sue McDade, Brandy Lee Cline (McDade) and Lacey Marie McDade who he helped raise over the years, his sister Alyson Marie Fritz (Gates), his niece Nicole Elizabeth Fritz, and his nephew Tyler Thomas Fritz. He is preceded in death by his parents Neil and Carol Gates and his brother-in-law Thomas Joseph Fritz.

Funeral Services will be held at 1pm, Friday, June 12, 2026, at Mountainview Christian Church, 40 E Highlands Ranch Parkway, Highlands Ranch, CO. Burial will be held in Littleton Cemetery.