Ex-county commissioner Carolyn Gates dies at 81
Carolyn Helm Gates, a former Shelby County Commissioner, died Saturday.
Gates, 81, served on the County Commission for 17 years. She first won office in 1977, when she defeated state Rep. Neal Small by fewer than 100 votes to fill the seat formerly held by Joe Cooper on the Shelby County Court, forerunner to today's county commission. She served on the county commission until 1994 and was the body's chairwoman in 1988.
Gates had been active in Republican politics before her election: She was Shelby County chairwoman for former presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, had been a delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1980 and 1984 and held positions in the campaigns of Sen. Howard Baker and Gov. Winfield Dunn.
She published two books and earned a BA degree, cum laude, and the Series 7 Broker's License. She was appointed to the Defense Advisory Committee of Women in the Service, by the Secretary of Defense.
She was a fundraiser for the University of Memphis and was a volunteer for the Salvation Army, Republican Career Women, Youth Villages, St. Jude, Girls Scouts, the DAR, Suburban Garden club, Germantown Museum, and Germantown Methodist Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband James P. Gates. She leaves three children and two grandchildren.
Funeral Services will be held at noon Thursday at Germantown Methodist Church. Visitation will be at 11 a.m.
The family request memorials be sent to SRVS, Happy Tails no kill shelter, or Wounded Warriors Project.