Wednesday, October 28, 2026 | St. Lawrence County, NY
WADDINGTON - Richard Ralph “Cedric” Gates, age 79, passed away at his home on Sunday, October 25, 2026, in Waddington, surrounded by his loving family. Friends and family may be received on Friday, October 30, 2026, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the Phillips Memorial Home, 28 Clinton Street, in Waddington. Calling hours will also be held on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at Miller Funeral Home located at 6375 NY-30, Indian Lake, NY 12842 from 11:00 am to 1:30pm. A service will follow at 1:30pm Friends will gather from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the American Legion in Indian Lake, to be joined by the family after a private burial.
Cedric was born on September 7, 1947, in Glens Falls, NY to Dorothy Gates. He was raised in Blue Mountain Lake by his mother and “Uncle” Ralph Spring. He attended school in Blue Mountain Lake and Indian Lake. After completing his GED, he graduated from Heavy Equipment School in Virginia, which set the stage for his future pursuits. Most importantly, he graduated from the “School of Hard Knocks.”
A jack of all trades, a side hustler before side hustling was cool, he was always on the move: logging with skidders, bulldozers, and horses; doing road maintenance; delivering sand, gravel, and fuel oil and many more pursuits. His next 17 projects were always in the works. He was particularly skilled with running a chainsaw, a bulldozer, a backhoe, and his beloved grader. He loved the sound of a tree falling and took pride in landing it in the perfect spot.
Cedric always felt most at home in the woods. He loved to spend time logging, fishing, hunting and trapping. Since childhood he made maple syrup every spring, passing the tradition onto his children. After a day of gathering sap, he loved to spend the night sitting quietly by the fire. Cedric understood and loved animals, large and small. He was so patient that chickadees landed on his hat.
In 1980, he married Peggy Morrill in Blue Mountain Lake, NY. He lived with his family in the Adirondacks for another 20 years before moving to Waddington to “retire” by starting a hobby farm, complete with pigs, cows, horses, chickens, and fruit trees. Baling hay became a family activity, and he spent hours running his sawmill.
Cedric is survived by his loving wife, Peggy Morrill of Waddington; his son, Dan and Diana Gates of Verona, PA; his daughters: Molly (Gates) and Justin Baker of Cody, WY; Kimberly Gates of Bethpage, NY; his grandchildren: Cash, Cannon and Caden Baker; many nieces and nephews, and a cousin, Dorothy Gullen of Rochester, NY.
Memorial Contributions may be made to Dr. Ravinder N. Agarwal Renal Center, 124 Ford Avenue, Ogdensburg, NY, Waddington Fire Dept.; P.O. Box 352, Waddington, New York 13694 and Waddington Rescue Squad; P.O. Box 331, Waddington, New York 13694
Online condolences, memories, memorial trees and photos may be shared with the family by visiting his memorial page at www.PhillipsMemorial.com.
