Audrey Viola Gateley

Audrey Viola Gateley, 88, died March 8, 2022, in Fayetteville. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 8, 1934, Audrey's family moved to Arkansas in 1950. While attending an evening service at Immanuel Baptist Church, she met Harold Gateley, a young farm boy from Yell County. Individually, they had both felt the call to service, and together, they embarked on that task. They were married in 1953. She and her husband, Harold, served as Southern Baptist missionaries to South Korea from 1965 to 1980. While in Korea, Audrey saw the need for placing abandoned children with prospective parents. She worked closely with Holt Adoption Services, and the Gateley family was host to numerous foster children. Upon returning to the U.S., the Gateley's worked with Arkansas Baptist Children's Homes and Family Ministries, running an emergency shelter for children in Sherwood, Ark. After completing her master's degree in child development at the University of Arkansas, Audrey went on to serve as a social worker with the Arkansas Department of Health, until her retirement in 1997. Her work with the A-PLUS program (Adolescent Parents Learning Useful Skills) provided support for pregnant and parenting teens in need of services. She maintained a close friendship with her other retired social workers at Butterfield Trail Village. Audrey enjoyed her last 12 years developing new relationships at the Butterfield community, playing ping pong, attending First Baptist Church, watching Razorback basketball, and visiting the family ranch in Oklahoma and her beloved horses, dogs, and cats. She is preceded in death by her parents, Wade Temple, and Lola Cobb Temple; a sister, Florence Young; and her husband, Harold Gateley. Survivors include five children, Susan Gateley of Oark, Wade Gateley of Colorado Springs, Colo., David Gateley of Van Buren, Paul Gateley of Springdale, and Vicki Sue Gateley of Witter; and 13 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be at 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at Beard's Funeral Chapel in Fayetteville. Burial will follow at the Fayetteville National Cemetery at 1:30 p.m. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. on Monday, March 14, at Beard's. There will also be a memorial reception in the Performance Hall at Butterfield Trail Village at 3 p.m., on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. Memorials may be made to Arkansas Baptist Children's Homes and Family Ministries at arkansasfamilies.org. Condolences at: www.beardsfuneralchapel.com.