Obituary of Darryl Alan GATE

June 29, 1971 – Calgary, Alberta

September 22, 2019 – Calgary, Alberta

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Darryl after a battle with melanoma at the age of 48 years.

Darryl fought this battle with a smile on his face never allowing himself to give up.  His kind, generous, intelligent, happy and loving spirit will always be with us. Darryl attended Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School and graduated from the University of Calgary. He had many successful careers and was an inspirational and influential leader to many different people. He was also a great friend and made many along the way. Darryl loved a good concert and attended many; he had an eclectic taste in music. As the VP of Events at the U of C, he put on many new famous acts at the time including TOOL, Green Day, and Radiohead, who he later drove to the airport after their performance. He later became a band Manager as a side hobby. Darryl had a sporty edge to him and enjoyed snowboarding; he made his first snowboard and was one of the first of a group of people to snowboard on the mountains, even though they didn’t allow snowboarders at the time. He also loved wakeboarding, paddle boarding, commuting to work on his road bike across the city, and had completed over a dozen triathlons. Darryl treasured going to his condo in the mountains with his family to Radium B.C. where they all could enjoy these activities.  He also enjoyed traveling and surfing. He travelled the world for an entire year in his mid-twenties. He later wrote a fictional book which was influenced by his travels.

He was a dedicated family man and valued spending time watching his kids play sports.  He loved spending time with his parents and his sister’s family at Sunday gatherings. He also enjoyed a good party and loved to surround himself with friends and family, whatever the occasion!

“Darryl, you will be missed tremendously and never forgotten. You loved with all your heart, and the love given back to you is eternal. The insurmountable amount of courage you displayed during your 2-year battle with stage four cancer will forever be a lesson to us all to not only never give up hope, but also believe that our mind and heart are truly stronger than our body.”

Beside his loving wife Alisha, Darryl is survived by his daughter Jada and son Ryder, his parents, Alan and Gloria Gate; as well as his sister Leilani (Greg) MacQuarrie and their son Callum.

Funeral Services will be held at McINNIS & HOLLOWAY (Fish Creek, 14441 Bannister Road S.E., Calgary, AB) on Sunday, October 06, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.    Reception to follow in the Hospitality Centre at the Funeral Home. Condolences may be forwarded through www.McInnisandHolloway.com. If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, c/o Tom Baker Cancer Centre, 1331 - 29 Street N.W., Calgary, AB T2N 4N2 Telephone: 1 (866) 412-4222.  www.albertacancer.ca/memorial. The family would like to thank the doctors at Tom Baker Cancer Clinic and the staff at the Palliative Care unit 47 during his final days.

In living memory of Darryl Gate, a tree will be planted at Fish Creek Provincial Park by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Fish Creek, 14441 Bannister Road SE, Calgary, AB, T2X 3J3,  Telephone: 403-256-9575.