Bernadette Gately

Bernadette Gately passed away peacefully in her home on February 2, 2020 at the age of 92.   She was born the third child of four to Walter and Anna Planet on November 25, 1927 in South Ozone Park, Queens, NYC.  Her parents, sisters Marie and Virginia and brother Walter all predeceased her.  After graduating from John Adams High school in 1945, she started working as a secretary at Venezuelan Airways and became interested in flying and started taking lessons in a Piper Cub aircraft.  It was during this time that she started dating John Gately, a USAAF 2nd LT returning home from WWII.  John and Bernadette dated while he attended Dartmouth College on the GI Bill and were married on November 25, 1950.  Their first home together was in Bay Shore, Long Island, NY and that is where their first four children were born, sons John, James, Joseph and daughter Jeanne.  After John’s transfer to Torrance, CA in 1960, son Jeffrey was born.  After the children started school, she started work as a bookkeeper at Little Company of Mary Hospital.  When John switched jobs in 1971, the family moved to Cornwall-On-Hudson, NY and she started working at Empire National Bank as Teller and Loan Officer.  After one last job change the family returned to California in 1980, settling into their last house in Huntington Beach, CA.  She worked at the local Bank of America branch from 1982 until her retirement in 1992.  John and Bernadette attended all of their children’s activities, while enjoying travel, sporting events, and attending theater and Broadway plays. They were long time members of St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Huntington Beach.  John, her husband of 67 years, passed away January 16, 2018.  She is survived by her five children, 10 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren and numerous nephews and nieces.

Visitation and Rosary will be held at Heritage Memorial on Wednesday, Feb 12, 2020 from 5:00 to 7:30 PM.  Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday, Feb 13, 2020 at 1 pm at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church.  Interment at the Miramar National Cemetery will be on Thursday, February 20, 2020 at 9:30am

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