SOUTH PARIS – Loretta Hassall Gates, 90, of North Norway, (formerly of Weston, Mass.,) passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 17, with family members at her side.

Known as “Lorrie” by friends and family, she was born June 21, 1914, in Richmond Hills, N.Y., the daughter of James and Elsie Hassall.

“Lorrie” graduated from Adelphi Academy, Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1930, and attended Skidmore College before transferring to Posse School, Weston, Mass., to prepare for a career in physical therapy. While at Posse, she served as national treasurer of the Delta Psi Kappa Fraternity. Upon graduation in 1937, she joined the Boston practice of Dr. John Ober, a pioneer in the fields of physical and occupational therapy.

She and the Hassall family survived disaster in September 1934 when fire broke out on the ill-fated cruise ship, Morro Castle, on their voyage from Havana to New York. The ship was gutted by a fire of suspicious origin off the coast of New Jersey, resulting in over 150 deaths. She survived by jumping from the ship, without a life jacket, into the Atlantic. A strong swimmer, she managed to locate one of the ship’s hawsers and spent the next several hours climbing up and down the rope with the sea swells, awaiting rescue.

As a young professional, she met Lloyd Stearns Gates of West Paris. They were married in 1941 at the Church of the Redeemer, Richmond Hill, N.Y., followed by a reception at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. She and Lloyd settled first in Newton Center, Mass., and later moved to Weston, Mass., where she dedicated herself to raising kids and to community service.

She was active in St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Newton Lower Falls, Mass., where she was a member of the Altar Guild, and a Sunday school teacher. As a member of the Women’s Guild, she helped to raise funds for community support. An advocate for youth, she was also active in planning youth group missions, prayer sessions, retreats and social activities. She was a Den Mother in the Cub Scouts of America.

She always placed the needs and interests of her beloved children, husband and grandchildren before her own. Yet, she found time for herself and loved to bake and garden. Her pies and blueberry muffins were particular family favorites. Her lifelong passion for decorative painting found an outlet with the Lexington (MA) Arts & Crafts Society.

She and Lloyd moved to North Norway, in 1970, where she remained active in community service for over 20 years, particularly at Christ Episcopal Church, Norway.

She was a woman of strong faith, who truly believed that the many blessings of her life were God given and sustained by her faithfulness. At Christ Church, she was active in the Altar Guild and the Good Neighbors program that provides food and comfort to those unable to attend church. Almost everyday for many years, she took up knitting needles, producing an abundance of hats, bandages, scarves, sweaters, and mittens for those in need. She helped establish the first library at Christ Church and was a charter member of the church’s prayer chain, praying for those in need at a moment’s notice. Throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, she belonged to the Diocesan Board of Episcopal Church Women, for the Diocese of Maine.

She also volunteered at Stephens Memorial Hospital, taking particular pleasure in the book cart program, bringing reading material and companionship to patients. She was a longtime member of the Sunshine Club, a women’s community service organization in Oxford County, founded in 1914 by her mother-in-law, Myrtle Gates, and Myrtle’s friends. Carrying on another tradition of Myrtle’s, Mrs. Gates regularly served as an exhibition hall judge for the annual Oxford County and the Fryeburg fairs.

Mrs. Gates is survived by her six children: Richard and his wife, Elizabeth, Rochester, N.Y., Barbi and her husband, James Tinder, Stoneham, John and his wife, Cheryln, Natick, Mass., James Stearns Gates, Waterville, Steve and his wife, Joan, Andover, Mass., and William and his wife, Sharon, Peru; 11 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her husband of nearly 63 years, Lloyd, and her sister, Ethel Hassall Hill, Garden City, N.Y.

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