Genevieve Olive "Jenny" Gates

Genevieve Olive “Jenny” Gates, 97, of Minot, formerly of Mohall, died unexpectedly on March 11, 2026, at a Minot hospital. Born June 17, 1928, near Norma, North Dakota, to Keith and Gunda (Johnson) Knutson, she was the seventh of nine children raised on the family homestead in Rockford Township, Renville County. Jenny attended the country school across the road from her home through eighth grade, graduated from Mohall High School in 1946, and earned a teaching certificate from Minot Teacher’s College. She taught one term at Grassland School alongside Dagny Knutson.

On November 23, 1947, Jenny married Donald “Irish” Gates, a World War II veteran. The couple first lived in Oak Harbor, Washington, before returning to North Dakota in 1948 to help on the Gates family farm. They later established their own farm in Brandon Township, Renville County, where their son Jim and grandsons Andy and Peter continue the family operation. While raising five children, Jenny was constantly active, excelling at home improvement projects including wallpapering, painting, refinishing furniture, and sewing. She enjoyed bowling, playing bridge, and spending weekends at Lake Metigoshe, a place that held deep meaning for her family across generations.

Jenny worked as a clerk at Abe’s Market and as a CNA at Renville-Bottineau Memorial Hospital and the Good Samaritan Society Nursing Home. After moving from the farm into Mohall in 1986, she faced the loss of her husband Irish in 1989. She later moved to Minot, where she remained active at the YMCA, played pinochle with the Sons of Norway, and enjoyed traveling to the Holy Land, Norway, California, Hawaii, and winters in Arizona with her daughters. In 2022 she moved to Edgewood Assisted Living, where she continued to enjoy daily crosswords, cards, and puzzles with friends. A lifelong person of faith, she was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Mohall and Bread of Life Lutheran Church in Minot.

Jenny is survived by her daughter-in-law Bonnie Gates of Fargo; daughters Ann (Terry) Zeltinger of Minot and Lynette Durheim of Forbes; sons James (Susan) Gates of Mohall and Jerry (Tamie) Gates of Bismarck; and her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, to whom she faithfully sent birthday cards each year. She is also survived by her brother Clifford (Phyllis) Knutson of Fergus Falls, Minnesota; sister Florence Nesland of Allentown, Pennsylvania; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Donald “Irish” Gates; son Donald C. Gates; sons-in-law James Wheelihan and Bruce Durheim; and siblings Casper Knutson, Mildred Mugaas, Beatrice Brekhus, Knute Knutson, Silas Knutson, and Victor Knutson.