Further info:

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2009/dec/21/worker-who-died-in-fall-in-newbury-park/

To all Colorado Rocketeers:
Many of you know of Erik and some of us have had the great pleasure to have met him, it was posted that he had lost his life in a work related accident. His presence in the hobby will be greatly missed!

I will be putting together donations for an arrangement to be sent to the services and or a donation in his name depending on the families wishes. Feel free to contact me be email for more information. Once I have heard what the families wishes are I will let you know. Once I have heard when and were the service will be held, I will also let everyone know in case you wish to send something on your own.

I heard about Erik this morning from a friend I have not talked to in a while, Conway Stevens. Although the news was terrible, I am glad that I heard it from a friend over the phone and not through my inbox. I have been thinking about this all day and I guess I am ready to say my piece...

I knew Erik best from the 2006 X Prize Cup but I was fortunate enough to have known him before that. Erik and his brother Dirk were both people I looked up to tremendously as I grew up building rockets. They were the guys doing the big cool projects that I loved! Their designs, their paint jobs, the ground support. Everything about their rockets was how I wanted to build my rockets. I wanted to follow in the footsteps of the Gates Brothers.

I could go on for a long time with this e-mail but what I really want to say is that Erik has always been a mentor of mine and will continue to be. He was an inspiration to us all. I will always remember the time that he called me to wish me luck just before the first launch of my project Event Horizon that I build after his rockets. I will always remember him staying at LDRS 25 a little longer to shake my hand at the pad and watch Event Horizon fly it’s second flight, a flight that Paul Robinson donated the three N motors for. Most of all, I will remember Erik from the 2006 X Prize Cup and how he sat on the back of the truck with me as we drove away from Event Horizon just prior to liftoff it’s third and final flight and tried to talk me back into reality. ☺ Or the final dinner that night after our victory of the X Prize Cup and Erik’s countless skydiving and base-jumping stories.

I could go on forever and I will for several days to come in my head about all the things I remember about Erik and how much not only I will miss him but how much we all will miss him. I can only hope that someday when I move on I will have left a fraction of a mark on the earth as Erik as left on the earth. I am a better person having known Erik and I will never forget him. My deepest condolences go to his son David and his family. Rest in peace Erik

Here is a photo of what I think best describes how I will always remember Erik Gates: http://ockets.fotopic.net/p31828953.html

Art, I never had the honor to meet and know him. But he obviously lives on through you and others who knew him. The way you and others treated me through my certifications is a testament to what he passed on and the man he was, and that includes Conway. AND James.

http://www.rocketryplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?p=146733

Hi my name is Camille Smith. I am Erik's niece. We were all so grateful to see the kind words that have been posted, that we would like to invite everyone to his memorial. It warms our hearts that everyone in the rocket communities feels the same way that we do about Erik.
Date: Saturday, December 26, 2009
Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: Church of Jesus Christ of LDS
Street: 32165 Watergate Road
City/Town: Westlake Village, CA 91361

We hope that you can come and celebrate his life with us.
Thank you,

Camille Smith
lovebeetree@hotmail.com

Art, like Pat G said, you are a class act...

Warren

Although I have met Erik only once or twice in prior years, my son Chris and I had a chance to really get to know him on a more personal level this past July. Erik was gracious enough to meet us south of Denver on his way driving from California to LDRS28 in up-state NY. Even though he barely knew us, he made some space in his trailer to fit Chris' Deuces Wild rocket and then transport it on to LDRS for us. Chris & I were able to fly from Denver to NY, then meet and "hang out" with the Gates clan at LDRS, and fly a few rockets - namely Gates Bros' Sumo, Porthos, David Gates' Thumper, my son Chris' Deuces Wild, plus a few of Gates' others. From our experiences there it was obvious that Erik was a great mentor, support and friend for not only his close relatives and friends, but even for a couple of hitch-hikers from Colorado. He was particularly proud of helping his son David with his L3 cert. You can see just a few sample photos at my web site (ockets.fotopic.net), but this only touches the surface of the great experiences we had.

http://ockets.fotopic.net/p59872343.html
http://ockets.fotopic.net/p59872206.html
http://ockets.fotopic.net/p59872517.html
http://ockets.fotopic.net/p59872485.html

Without the help and generosity of Erik and the rest of the Gates family, Chris would have never been able to fly at this LDRS. Sadly, we won't get the opportunity to meet up again with Erik at the next LDRS in California this next summer, but I only hope we get a chance to see Dirk, David, and the rest in order to express our gratitude and condolences in person for the great loss we all feel. Thanks Erik for all you have done.

Ray LaPanse