Lewis Eugene "Gene" Cates

Services celebrating the life of Lewis Eugene Scott "Gene" Cates will be at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 28, 2018 at Lone Star Baptist Church in Coweta, OK. Rev. Sam Davis will officiate the service. A private interment will be in Highland Cemetery in Okemah, OK. Viewing will be from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at Brown Family Funeral Home. My dad was born on a beautiful farm in Boles, Arkansas on January 30, 1930. He was the youngest of four born to William Robert Joseph Iley Cates and Laudra (Morgan) Cates. His three siblings were given the responsibility of naming him, the oldest and only girl Meddie Alyine gave him the name of Lewis after a favorite uncle, Lewis Pickens Cates. His oldest brother, Gus Vance added the name Eugene and the baby brother Theodore "Tee" finished his name with Scott. Uncle Tee had a small lisp and pronounced it "Dott", but the family understood his selection. My dad officially became Lewis Eugene Scott Cates. The family moved to Oklahoma when my dad was a small boy. They settled in a small community near Okemah, OK. He grew up hunting and fishing in all the ponds in the area. He became quite the sharp shooter and rose to the challenge of his brother, Tee. When Tee bet him, he couldn't even hit Mama as she was hanging up clothes on the clothesline. Dad shot her in the hand with his BB gun and for a few brief seconds felt so proud of his feat. When my grandmother realized what had happened - well, let's just say things turned ugly. He and my mom married in 1947 and eventually moved to Oklahoma City. He worked at Tinker Air Force Base and held a career in aviation until the early 1970's. In the mid 1960's while working for North American he frequently traveled to Cape Canaveral to work on the Apollo Space Mission. He was on the fueling crew and witnessed some of the space launches. At the time, his brother Gus was a Navy Commander and retrieved several returning astronauts. My dad shot them into space and Uncle Gus picked them up - teamwork. In the early 1970's my dad got a framing crew together and began a career in construction. He built many homes and offices in and around Coweta over the next several decades. His proudest achievement was building Emmanuel Southern Baptist Church almost single-handedly. It has changed names, but to our family, it will always be Papa Gene's church. My mother's death in 2015 was so hard on him. He lived everyday knowing he was one day closer to seeing his "FiFi". As a Christian, he relied on God's compassion to relieve him of the earthly body in His perfect timing. His waiting game ended this past Monday at 9:05 a.m. He died peacefully and did not struggle as his life on Earth passed away. My family knows, without a doubt, that Dad is in Heaven with Jesus, my mother and his precious son, Larry Eugene. His is survived by his daughter and son-in-law of 49 years, Phil and Carole Carter; his daughter-in-law, Cecilia Cates; four grandchildren, Shane Carter, Kimberly Solomon, Christina Cates and Cassandra Jean Cates; ten great grandchildren, Courtney, Madeline, Chloe Counts, Anna Counts, Jacob Foutch, Sarah Foutch, Nolan Hampton, Avery Carter, Van Carter and Sonny James Carter; and several nieces and nephews. Our family would like to thank all the people who visited dad this past two months. To Jeff and his staff at Sports Page who have become like family to us and Mark's Place where he ate breakfast every morning. He never had to order, they just saw him and started cooking his favorite breakfast. To Kris Saunders for taking care of his yard and to his neighbor Ross who was always willing to lend a helping hand. We will never forget your kindness. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Family and friends may share memories online at www.brownfamilycares.com. The family of Gene Cates entrusted his care and services to Brown Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 210 S. Broadway, Coweta, OK 74429, 918-486-5515. "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." - John 15:12