Evelyn Gates, age 88 of Shawano, passed away Sunday, August 5, 2012. Born on March 3, 1924 in Milwaukee, she was the daughter of the late Walter and Nora (Pyzik) Kempa. Evelyn was baptized as a Jehovah's Witness in 1954 and was later active in their preaching work as a pioneer minister. On December 20, 1956 she was united in marriage to Douglas Gates in Milwaukee. Evelyn was a strong willed, hardworking, driven woman who claimed to never feel old. She had a great sense of humor and loved going out to eat, especially her personal favorite restaurant, The Home Plate Café. Evelyn is survived by: 3 children, Kathy (Richard) McClure of Bonduel, James (Kathy) Hollingsworth of West Bend, Brian (Roxanne) Gates of the Island of Rota; 4 grandchildren, Annie (Jon) Cherny, Jesse (Jenny) Hollingsworth, Amy Hollingsworth, Nicole (Brandon) Strzyzewski; 2 step great-grandchildren, Megan and Morgan; and brother-in-law, Henry Czarnecki. Evelyn was preceded in death by: her husband, Douglas on January 30, 1987; her parents; and a sister, Carol Czarnecki. A memorial service will be held at 3:00pm on Saturday, August 11, 2012 at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witness in Shawano with George Enevoldsen-Kiel officiating. Visitation will be held at the church on Saturday after 1:00pm until the time of the service. Swedberg Funeral Home in Shawano is assisting the family with the arrangements. www.swedbergfuneralhome.com