Julia Irene Gates Celebrates Her Last Year as an Octogenarian

 My mother often comments that Julia, the next to the youngest of the children born to my Grandpa and Grandma Gates, is the only one of the twelve still living. I celebrate her commitment to her family, her strong work ethic, and her enduring faith in the Lord.

Julia Irene Gates Newland

Julia Irene Gates was born on September 22 on the Gates farm west of Ralston. Her three older sisters and five older brothers welcomed her into the family of Edmund Gates, Sr. and Mamie Irene Tripp Gates. Baby Julia received the same middle name as her mother – Irene.

My father, Edmund Gates, Jr., was the oldest brother that Julia knew. He was fourteen years old when she arrived. Dad enlisted in the Army Air Corps just twelve days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Little Julia, at the age of eight, missed her big brother terribly since he had been living on the farm helping their father as the family tried to recover from the Great Depression.

Julia with her baby sister, Mamie Marie modeling the pretty pink dresses made
by their mother, Mamie Irene Tripp Gates.

Julia vividly recalled one time when my father came home on leave. The little two-room house bulged with excited family members, vibrating with the never-hushed voices of the talkative Gates clan. Even though Julia’s anticipation of her big brother’s return had pervaded her thoughts, at that moment one of her teeth pained her unbearably to the point of tears! Remembering how sensitive he had always been to her, she approached her brother. He learned of her aching tooth. My father located immediately a topical pain reliever, put it on a piece of cotton, and applied it to the decayed tooth. To her relief, Dad’s remedy alleviated her pain, allowing a joyful celebration with her favorite big brother.

As her other siblings, Julia attended Woodland Grade School, graduating from eighth grade. Then she rode the bus to Burbank to receive her high school education. Upon graduation, she worked at the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company office in Blackwell, Oklahoma.

Julia with Mr. Lowell Welker and Clayton Hicks with their 8th grade diplomas
from Woodland Grade School in the west Big Bend.

She later completed college courses in the early childhood field. Soon after that, she taught little ones in some of the locations where she lived after her marriage. She enjoyed teaching music in two nursery schools in Dallas.

I recalled the day Grandma Gates called to say Aunt Julia had a fourth baby boy. At around eight years of age, I was “all ears” at family news. As Dad relayed to Mother the name of Julia’s new son, I overheard “Daniel Edmund.” I interjected, “The baby is named after Daddy!”

Mother corrected me, saying the new baby cousin was probably named after Grandpa, Edmund Gates, Sr. Her statement appeared logical to me so I never questioned further. Over fifty years later, as I informed Dan of my father’s death so he could convey the sad news to his mother, he explained that he was indeed named after Dad since he was her favorite. Since Dad’s death, I sometimes refer to Dan as “Daniel Edmund” since I like to hear Dad’s name, and it reminds me of a cherished family story illustrating Dad’s sensitivity to his sweet little sister.

How appropriate that Daniel Edmund Newland, Dad’s namesake, worked his magic as a graphic designer/publisher on my father’s military experiences entitled Okie Over Europe! As an independent publisher, he published the books out of his own studio. Dad lived long enough to see and hold in his hand the book in its final form. He would have been pleased to see how much people have enjoyed his recounting of those years that so scripted his life.

I have much admiration for Aunt Julia as she raised her four boys with the principles she had been taught by her parents. Using her diligence and talent, she did monogramming for schools and companies to personalize the specific items for these entities in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area. With the frugality she had learned in her home from her parents in the west Bend, she provided support for her sons coupled with an abundance of love.

Julia was a member of the Writers’ Workshop group at the Garland Senior Activity Center near her home in Garland, Texas. When her group proposed a publication focusing on veterans, she thought of her oldest brother.  Her contribution of a brief account of Dad’s World War II exploits was printed in a collaborative effort published by her group entitled Veterans and Patriots of Freedom. Dad kept the copy that Judy (the name he usually used for her) gave him.

Only Julia would be the one of my father's siblings to connect with a Rainey while living deep in the heart of Texas. Julia's boys were playing in the neighborhood in Garland soon after moving there. Rory, her second from the youngest, appeared at Marilyn Rainey Firestone Brager's door with her son, Craig. Marilyn said to Rory, "I knew someone with eyes just like yours but they were from Oklahoma." Rory, never at a loss for words, immediately responded, "My grandma lives in Oklahoma." Soon Marilyn and Julia were renewing their friendship that had begun decades earlier in the Big Bend. Of course, Marilyn, my mother's cousin, had lived for sometime with my mother's family. Dad's response was "It's a small world" when Grandma Gates called and told him of the connection that Rory made.

Aunt Julia stands out in my mind as a woman of faith. Her trust in the Lord, through difficulties as she reared her sons and as she experienced illness in later life, has sustained her year after year.

Happy, Happy Birthday, Aunt Julia!

                                Julia with her four boys - Rory, Mike*, Daniel Edmund, and Pat**

*I wrote some remembrances of Mike, Julia's eldest son, who died in 2014, in a blog posting entitled, Singing on Grandpa's Birthday.  To access the above mentioned blog go to:bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2015/06/singing-on-grandpas-birthday.html 

**Patrick, a cousin of mine, made a point to connect with me after lunch at a past reunion. After exchanging the pertinent yearly personal updates, he said, “Your dad is my hero.” He continued to reiterate the steadfastness in my father that he had observed for all the years he had known him. The well-defined consistency in his character and faith had been an inspiration to my cousin as he was on his own journey through life. Then he said, “He is the most compassionate man I know.”
I reflected on the infrequency of hearing a man’s name connected with compassion. Then I recalled a phrase from the New Testament repeatedly used in Matthew 9:36, Matthew 14:14, and Mark 6:34 to describe Jesus. The scripture says that Jesus “was moved with compassion.” Jesus, the Son of God, just by seeing the hurts and needs of others was motivated to take action on their behalf. I think that is what my cousin saw in my father – someone sensitive to those around him. (I wrote this in an article from 2010 after visiting with Patrick, Julia’s second son, who is only one day older than I am. Patrick’s reunion musings seemed so appropriate for this posting.)