As the postmaster for the Gilroy Post Office for nearly 20 years, Penny Yates was treasured by her colleagues for treating everyone with respect – regardless of their stature.
As a loving older sister, Yates – who was born, raised and employed in San Jose before moving to Gilroy for her position at the post office – helped to raise her little brother, Mark Wortman.
Yates was also an animal lover who rescued and found homes for dozens of stray cats, including eight she kept at her Gilroy home with her husband.
The 56-year-old will be dearly missed by those closest to her after she died in the early morning of New Year’s Day due to complications from leukemia.
“She was a wonderful lady. She always treated me as an equal and she was very good to me,” said letter carrier Gail Garduque, who worked with Yates for the last 15 years at the Gilroy Post Office. “She was not only my boss. She became a friend. She just had a zest for life. She threw herself and immersed herself in whatever she did.”
Garduque will never forget the “little chats” the two friends had regularly about antique shopping, remodeling and craft projects.
Wortman shared how his older sister acted as the head of the household growing up in San Jose since their mother was battling cancer for seven years prior to her death in 1975.
“Penny, she took over basically because my mother was sick most of the time. She was my father, mother, everything,” Wortman recalled. “She cooked all the meals…she took charge of the house.”
Yates, who started her postal career at the San Jose Post Office on Lundy Avenue before getting married and moving to Gilroy, had previously beaten her cancer three times. She retired from the Gilroy post office last summer and moved to Oakhurst, where there will be a memorial service Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Oakhurst Community Center (39800 Fresno Flats Road).
“She was a great person. She’d do anything for you,” said Wortman in remembering his sister’s life. “She did everything big. She took charge of everything. She was just a great person.”
Supervisor Julie Thompson, who has worked at the Gilroy Post Office for 29 years, described Yates as “very giving,” because she would always go out of her way to find a special Christmas present for her and her children every year.
“That always made me feel really good,” said Thompson, who was happy to see Yates retire and find her dream house in Oakhurst, which she decorated with unique items she collected over the years such as a potbelly fireplace, ceiling fan and stone tile pieces. “That was so special to see her go live her dream.”
Locally, there will be a celebration of Yate’s life at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 19 upstairs in the Old City Hall building located at 7400 Monterey Road.
