Robert Bruce Gates was born in Quebec City and died in Port Douglas, Australia. He was predeceased by his parents, Cliff and Jo Gates, and his son Drew. He is survived by his lov- ing wife Mary (Port Douglas), sister Heather Burgess (Burlington, Ont.) and nephews Cliff and Scott Fraser. He was the loving father to Kelly (John Hudson), Kara Dobbin and Tyler, and grandfather to Sera and Silas Dobbin, Alisha Urbergang and Annalize Luvale.

Bruce met his true match – Mary Hatch – in Quebec City, and they began an exciting 66 years of marriage and travel. In 1969, they left Ottawa with four children in tow and moved to

New Zealand. Two years later they moved to Australia. In 1985, Bruce accepted a position in Hong Kong and they spent 12 exciting years there until the handover to China in 1997. They returned to Australia where they spent their retire- ment years.

Throughout his life, Bruce was an avid reader; he spent hours on British, German and Russian versions of critical Second World War battles. His retention was remarkable and he enjoyed a good discussion and debate.

Deeply loved by family members and friends, his warmth, wisdom and gentle spirit left a lasting impact.