Obituary of John Augustus Gatesman

John A. "Jack" Gatesman, 95 passed away on April 23, 2022 in his home at Green Ridge Village, Newville, PA while enjoying the company of his wife Jean and visiting family members. On March 9, 1927 Jack was born in the home of his parents, Augustus "Gust" Gatesman & Clara Gatesman (Schmader) of Lucinda, PA. The doctor rode the train from Clarion Station to Lucinda for his delivery. Jack was the second of Gust and Clara's 11 children and is survived by a brother Frederick of Largo, FL and a sister, Kathleen Schmader of Brookville, PA. In April of 1947, Jack met Jean Moore from Leeper, PA and began an epic love story. They were married on July 9, 1949. Anyone who knew them appreciated the special love they shared. In addition to his wife, he is survived by 8 children: Theresa Guelcher (David - deceased), Dana (Karen O'Neill, Christopher (Peter Holtz), Mary Ann Betz (Richard), Elizabeth Hughes (Mark), David (Laura Faraone), Jeanine Sellers (Clint), Shawn (Julie Simmons). He was preceded in death by his son John (Linda Schmader) who died from ALS. He was proud of his large family which has grown to a sum of 92, including 24 grandchildren, and 34 great-grandchildren. In addition, more than 100 nieces and nephews loved and admired their Uncle Jack. Jack attended St Joseph School in Lucinda, PA until at 17, he joined the US Navy and completed basic training in Sampson, NY in 1945. Jack learned auto painting through the GI Bill at Patton and Lynch in Oil City, where he worked for three years. In 1948, he started Jack's Auto Body in his father's barn in Lucinda. McKinley & White in Clarion, PA asked him to help open a new body shop, where he worked from 1949 to 1951. In 1951 he returned to his father's barn and established Gatesman Auto Body where he retired in 1989. During his 33-year "retirement" Jack kept busy in his wood shop. He built a treasured legacy, The Gatesman Family Lodge, which he constructed using resources he found on the lodge property. Though Jack has traveled to California, Montana, Hawaii, Germany, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and the eastern Caribbean Islands, it was when he was at the family lodge he often said, "It doesn't get any better than this." Jack and Jean enjoyed spending their winter months in Lake Worth Beach, FL for 16 years. Jack was a lifelong member of Saint Joseph Church in Lucinda and the Knights of Columbus for 64 years, where he became a Fourth-Degree member. In 2019 Jack and Jean relocated to Green Ridge Village, a retirement community in Newville, PA. While there, Jack enjoyed visiting his many friends, volunteering in the health center, shooting pool, and playing many games of Euchre and 500 Rummy. He especially liked the beautiful grounds where he and Jean fed the birds, squirrels, and deer that frequented their backyard. Gatesman Auto Body's motto is "We fix anything but a broken heart," never before has this held so much meaning. This and he will always be remembered. Family and friends will be received on Friday, April 29, 2022 from 2:00p.m. to 4:00p.m. and 6:00p.m. to 8:00p.m. at the Borland-Ensminger Funeral Home, Inc. in Leeper, PA. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at Saint Joseph's Church in Lucinda, with the Rev. Michael Polinek, pastor, as celebrant. Interment will take place in the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made in Jack's memory to: St. Joseph School, P.O. Box 9, Lucinda, PA 16235 Or the ALS Association at https://www.als.org/donate or ALS Association, 1323 Forbes Avenue, # 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.