Kevin Gately was born in Montclair, NJ on October 31st ,1952. He attended Our Lady of Lourdes elementary school and Essex Catholic High School in Newark. He attended a series of colleges, finally graduating with a BS in Public Safety Administration and a Master’s in Public Administration from Rutgers Newark.

In 1974 he joined the West Milford Township Police Department, where he served twenty-five years, attaining the rank of lieutenant . From 1980 on, he served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve, where he served mostly in New York and rose to rank of Commander. Notably, he wrote the after-action report for the Coast Guard’s participation in the September 11th response and was awarded the Coast Guard Commendation Medal.

After his retirement from the Coast Guard, he largely dedicated himself to his bicycling hobby. He joined the Bicycle Touring Club of Northern Jersey where he was a active ride leader and contributed many articles to the club’s newsletter. He also was active in bicycle touring, crossing the United States twice.

An active Catholic, he supported Catholic causes and was an active supporter of the Scholarship Fund for Inner City children.

He is survived by his brother Brian of Bayville, NJ and his brother Mark of Knoxville, TN.