Doris Moreland Gates

Doris Moreland Gates, born October 15, 1921 and passed January 26, 2015. She was the daughter of Margaret and Fred Moreland, both now deceased. Her only child was her daughter, Nancy Hayden Schwartz who died in January, 2002. Mrs. Gates was an interior designer and did business from her own shop “Lamps Et Cetera by Doris Gates” located in the Market Place Shopping Center in Little Rock. She married Stan Gates and lived with him from 1951-1970. They lived in Bloomington, Illinois where she began her decorating career and had a shop “Gate-way Interior.” For many years she was very active in spiritual study groups and was a former member of United Church of Little Rock and Mt. Pleasant Methodist Church also of Little Rock. She sponsored study groups at her home and her churches. Mrs. Gates was also a writer and published her books “Sudden Bouts of Happiness” in 2008 and What I Learned On The way To The Nursing Home in 2012. Joy of the Final Years will be published posthumously. She is survived by her sister, Jean Value of Bingen, Washington; granddaughters, Lea Myers of Colorado and Katherine Schwartz of San Francisco, California and many beloved friends from her decorating work and spiritual studies who helped her for years before her death. A memorial service will be held at Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, 5025 Church Road, Little Rock, Ark. 72210 at 1 p.m. Friday, January 30, 2015. A memorial gift may be made to Doris Gates Book Fund, c/o Alice Holeman at Bank of the Ozark, 101 North Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock, Ark. 72205 or Little Rock Compassion Center, 4210 Asher Avenue, Little Rock, Ark. 72204.