Goodbye to Denny

Last night, after our French class at 8:00, we got a call from Ernie. He said that Dennis was dying and asked if there was any chance we could come to Salt Lake to see Dennis and say good-bye. The nurse said he was hanging on for someone to come, or something to happen. All the other brothers and sisters had been to see him, and he was asking where Ed was? Pam brought us her car, and we checked out of the MTC and headed for Salt Lake to see Denny one more time. We got to their home and most of the family was still there. Ed stood and held Denny's hand and talked to him for about 45 minutes. Then Ed called everyone into the room that wanted to join in a family prayer. The room was packed. Ed offered the prayer. Four of the brothers were gathered around Dennis, holding his hands and arms. It was very emotional. In spite of the fact that they lived different lifestyles, those 12 Gates kids love each other dearly. We drove back to our dorm in Provo (about an hour's drive) and went to bed. We got a message that Denny passed away this morning about 7:00.