Catherine M. Pate

Catherine (Kathy) Pate, 91, passed away Wednesday, June 28, after a long illness which she battled bravely with dignity and grace. She was surrounded by her loving family. She was born April 8, 1932, to The Reverend Ira and Myrtle McGill in Chester, SC. At a young age, the McGill family moved to Winnsboro, SC, where Reverend McGill was called to pastor Stephen F. Green Baptist Church, where she and her five siblings – all of whom preceded her in death -were raised in the church parsonage. She attended Mt. Zion Institute, where she distinguished herself in the classroom, also holding several leadership positions. She served as Editor-in-Chief of the school paper, “Campus Comments” and was named “Miss D.A.R.’ her senior year. It was at Mt. Zion, that she met the love of her life, Gene Pate, in the town library where they shared a love of reading. Upon graduation from Mt. Zion, Gene joined the Clemson Corps of Cadets and was a member of the football team. Kathy and Gene were married on November 27, 1952 and lived in married housing on the Clemson campus. In 1953, after Gene was commissioned as a new Second Lieutenant in the US Army, Kathy traveled across the country to the west coast, where she moved into the YWCA before joining Gene in Japan, where he had been stationed as part of the post-war reconstruction of Japan’s infrastructure. Upon returning stateside, they moved to Kingsport, Tennessee, where Gene established an architectural practice, eventually relocating both his family and his practice to Atlanta, which was to become “home”. Kathy epitomized the word “hostess”. She was renowned for her lavish themed parties and whether entertaining neighborhood friends or the President of Ireland, she did it with style and grace. Perhaps her greatest accomplishment, however, was running a household that was always full of family, friends, love, laughter and happiness. Her true joy was her family that she dearly loved. Married 62 years to her high school sweetheart, she and Gene raised a large and loving family and modeled every day what marriage and family should look like. She is survived by her four children: Milton Pate, Jr. (Mariann), Karen Pate, Elizabeth Beck, and Kirby Pate (Debbie). She was a proud grandmother to nine grand-children and twelve great-grandchildren (with two more on the way!).

A memorial service, with a reception to follow, will be held at H.M. Patterson & Son- Oglethorpe Hill on Sunday afternoon July 2, 2023, at 3:00.

Gifts in memorium can be sent to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance or Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.