Charles Lyle “C.L.” Gates, age 87 of Brooklyn died Sunday, May 31, 2009 at Brooklyn Community Estates following a brief illness. Funeral Services: 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, June 3, 2009, Grace United Methodist Church, Brooklyn with Rev. John Dodds officiating. Burial will be in the Koszta Cemetery, rural Marengo with military honors. Visitation: 4 to 8 P.M. Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at Kloster Funeral Home, Brooklyn, with a Masonic Service at 8:00 P.M. A memorial fund has been established.

He is survived by his son Charles H. and wife Bernadette “Sally” of Brooklyn, two grandsons, Tad William Gates (Cathy) of North Liberty and Charles J. “Josh” Gates (Jessica Bethke) of Williamsburg; and five great grandchildren, Nicholas, Samuel, Ian, Kiley and Kiara. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Helen in 1995, three brothers, Lawrence, J.C. and Maynard and a sister Arlene Krider.

Charles Lyle Gates was born December 17, 1921 in Koszta, Iowa, the son of Clifford and Myrtle Cronbaugh Gates. He received his education in the Iowa County schools. Charles married Helen Maschmann on April 2, 1942 at the Lutheran Parsonage in Victor. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the China, Burma and India Theatre. Upon returning to the states, C.L. was a shop foreman at the Montgomery Ford Garage from 1946 -1950. He then was employed as a feed salesman for Moorman’s Feed for over 25 years and also farmed. He retired from feed sales in 1975 to farm full-time.

Charles was a member of the Brooklyn Francis-Gallagher American Legion and the Corinthian Masonic Lodge