Gates Kennedy Agnew

Gates Kennedy Agnew, 87, died peacefully at home on February 25, 2023, in the company of his beloved wife of 64 years, Patricia (Pat), close family members, and their dear cat, Cleo. Gates is survived by his two brothers and a sister, Bill (Penny), Hewes (Susan), and Zanne; his brothers-in-law and sister-in-law, Matthew (Mary), Roger, and Ruth; his beloved children, Emily (Duke), Elizabeth, Ken (Mrill), and Andrew (Maia); grandchildren Emlyn, Isaiah, Miranda, Quinn, and Claire; and extended family members. Family was his greatest love. He was keenly interested in and involved with his children, and reveled in the controlled chaos of family life. Gates both instilled a love of literature, music, and the great outdoors in his children, and he embraced new ideas and pursuits inspired by them. He also had a gift for deep and lasting friendships. The second son of Franklin Ernest Agnew, Jr. and Suzanne Kohlsaat Agnew, Gates was born and grew up in St. Louis. He attended John Burroughs School, where he distinguished himself as a student and an athlete. Gates graduated from Princeton University in 1957. He met Pat, a Wellesley student and Princeton “townie,” on a blind date. They spent the first year of their marriage in Hawaii, where Gates was teaching at Punahou School. Gates completed his Ph.D. at Stanford University and joined the Department of English at Indiana University Bloomington in 1962. After receiving tenure, he earned a Master’s in Social Work and left teaching to work in the Partial Hospitalization Program at the South-Central Community Mental Health Center. Gates found his work with clients deeply rewarding and particularly valued being part of a therapy team. In Bloomington, Gates and Pat nurtured deep and broad community connections. They also enjoyed international travel with family and friends including a sabbatical year in London with all four children, and later trips to New Zealand, Japan, Egypt, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, and Peru. Gates and Pat hiked, cycled, and attended meditation and spiritual retreats together. They also traveled to concerts, graduations, and other special occasions involving their children, grandchildren, and close friends. Gates was a profoundly spiritual person. He was deeply and visibly moved by sacred and secular music, literature, poetry, and the plays of Shakespeare. He loved the Beautiful Game, and enjoyed attending IU soccer games and viewing international matches aided and abetted by his sons, who texted game commentary on the side. He and Pat enjoyed countless musical and theater events at IU and made frequent pilgrimages to the Stratford Festival in Canada. With Pat, Gates was a faithful member of Trinity Episcopal Church for nearly 60 years. He sang in the Trinity choir, arriving in a wheelchair when he could no longer walk into the church. Throughout his life, Gates quietly served others in countless ways, including years of volunteer work with the Community Kitchen and the Interfaith Winter Shelter. His frailty at the end distressed him because it cost him his independence, but even more because it compromised his ability to be helpful. Still, he remained a mentor to many who were drawn to his compassion, understanding, and gentle wit. Gates shared Pat’s love for the family cottage in Ontario, Canada. With the aging of Pat’s parents, who built the cabin in 1960, Gates led the effort for two decades to keep the cottage in repair. One of his keenest regrets as he lost his strength in the past few years was not getting up to the cottage one last time. Gates endured a number of prolonged clinical depressions during his adult life. Following a final episode in 2017, he recovered a sense of inner peace and contentment which stayed with him until his death. He particularly loved his routines with Pat, which included reading together, daily devotional practices, and afternoon lattes with home-baked biscotti. Were he here, Gates would join the family in expressing deepest gratitude to the care team, led by Koshie Lamptey, and to Nurse Jim and all the staff of IU Health Bloomington Hospice, who made it possible for him to stay at home with Pat (and Cleo) until the end. Thank you all. Dad, you were and are deeply loved. Life won’t be the same without your steady and loving support, your sweet smile, your sly wit, and your keen appreciation of a homemade dessert. Fortunately, we are told, they have excellent pie in the sky. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 25 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Bloomington, followed by a reception in the Great Hall. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Trinity Episcopal Church or to the Community Kitchen of Monroe County. Allen Funeral Home and Crematory have been entrusted with arrangements. Online condolences, photos and memories may be shared with family and friends at www.allencares.com.

Tributes

Gates Kennedy Agnew

December 28, 1935 - February 25, 2023