Elmer D. Gates, 86, of Bethlehem, died Dec. 14, 2015. He was the husband of Betty S. Gates, who died in 2008. Born in Blue Mountain Lake, N.Y., he was the first son of Arthur and Hazel (Coon) Gates.

He was the co-founder of Embassy Bank for the Lehigh Valley and served as the non-executive chairman of Embassy Bancorp Inc. since its inception through June 2009 and had since taken the position of lead director.

He was formerly chairman, president and chief executive officer of Fuller Company, now F.L. Smidth. Prior to Fuller, he served in the Korean War. He also had a 31-year career at General Electric Corp.

He was a founding director of Ambassador Bank, a board member of the Lehigh Valley Bank and a member of the U.S. Export-Import Bank Advisory Committee.

He is a past DeSales University trustee and a director emeritus board member of Skills USA. He was a past board member and non-executive chairman of SI Handling Systems and past director of PPL.

He held a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Clarkson College, now Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y. He was honored with the Clarkson Golden Knight Award in 2010, was inducted into Clarkson’s Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame in 2011 and was inducted into the Lehigh Valley Executive Hall of Fame in 2012.

He recently authored a book titled “U-Turn Leadership.”

He was a member of Concordia Evangelical Lutheran Church, Macungie.

He is survived by daughters, Patti and her husband Mark Smith of Fogelsville and Jodi Key of Douglassville; grandchildren, Brett and Emily Smith and Bill and Heather Key.

Memorials may be sent to The Gates Endowment for Hospice, VNA of St. Luke’s, 801 Ostrum St., Bethlehem, 18015 or to his church, 2623 Brookside Road, Macungie, 18062.

Arrangements were made by Pearson Funeral Home, Bethlehem.