Deborah Ann Stewart, age 65, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Tuesday, June 28, 2022, at the Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kansas. She was born December 12, 1956, in Ft. Scott, the daughter of William Lawrence Gates, Jr. and Dixie Auluwee Dill Gates. Debbie graduated from Ft. Scott Christian Heights and remained a loyal Crusader supporter throughout her life. She had worked at the Medicalodge in Ft. Scott for twenty-seven years and had recently retired a few months prior to her death. In addition to working at the Medicalodge, Debbie also sold Avon. She was an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan. Debbie had been attending the Ft. Scott Church of the Nazarene.
Survivors include two sisters, Donna Smith (Nathan) of Ft. Scott, and Victoria Gates all of Ft. Scott and a brother, Randy Gates (Angela) of Girard, Kansas; three nieces, Kayla Smith of Ft. Scott, De Ann Hixon (Brandon) of Topeka, Kansas and Melissa Yacouzaai (Nick) of Tulsa, Oklahoma and a nephew, Nate Smith of Ft. Scott. Also surviving is a special friend, Robert Wilkerson of Ft. Scott and Debbie’s beloved dog, Minute. She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, William L. Gates III and a sister, Dixie Diane Hixon.
Graveside services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Tuesday, July 5th at the Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends at 10:00 A.M. on Tuesday at the Cheney Witt Chapel prior to leaving for the cemetery at 10:45 A.M. Memorials are suggested to Ft. Scott Christian Heights and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel 201 S. Main, P.O. Box347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
