Mourning the Loss of Beloved Auctioneer
Joe Gates, legendary auctioneer and loyal supporter of NorthBay Healthcare and all its fund-raising efforts, lost a valiant battle with COVID-19 on Feb. 5.
“Joe was a great friend and supporter of NorthBay Healthcare,” said Konard Jones, president and CEO. “As we grew over the years, Joe’s involvement in our foundation’s fundraising was a huge part of our success. It will be hard to imagine our world going forward with his God-given talent and wonderful sense of humor not being part of it. He loved his community, and his community loved him back a hundred-fold.”
Susan Cianci, program coordinator for NorthBay Healthcare Foundation, said the loss is huge. “I’ve heard many people remark over the years that Joe was absolutely instrumental to the success of Open That Bottle Night’s live auction. He supported so many local nonprofits with his remarkable talents.”
Former Foundation Board Member Bill Fell agreed. “I can’t begin to express how sad this is for Joe’s family as well as the NorthBay family and our entire community.” Joe is survived by wife Venean and daughter Jody.