June 6, 1943 , to March 17, 2026Sharon Ruth Gates was born June 6, 1943, to LeRoy Ward and Reva Buck Graham in Little Rock, Arkansas. She grew up in Geary, Oklahoma where she graduated from Geary Public Schools. She met John Gates at a dance at Tinker Air Force Base while she worked for The Oklahoman newspaper. They married a year and a half later, January 18, 1963, in Geary, Ok...