Carman “Harley” Pate, Jr. passed away peacefully on March 6, 2026 just one week shy of his 91st birthday. Right up to the very end of his life, Carman was actively living out and sharing his deep faith in the Lord and living according to what mattered most to him: loving God, loving family, and loving people.
Carman was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas and graduated from North High School. At age 17, while working as a fry cook at King’s X restaurant, he met the love of his life, Norma Jean Bowman who was 14 and a “curb hop”. According to Norma, she was attracted to his thick wavy hair and beautiful blue eyes.
After finishing high school, Carman enlisted in the United States Army where he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and U.S. Army Expert Marksmanship Badge. He was stationed in England where he worked as a clerk typist. Upon returning from England, he and Norma married August 18, 1956 and enjoyed over 69 wonderful years together. Together they raised two children, Britt (Colleen) and Rebecca (Shawn). He was a fervent provider and protector of his family. He was a loving grandpa/granddaddy to 6 grandchildren and was known for his “horsey rides”, tractor rides, and chauffeuring the kids all over town for activities.
The cornerstone of Carman’s life was his faith in Jesus Christ. Carman accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior as a young adult. He was baptized April 18, 1964 at Tyler Road Baptist Church. He and Norma were members of River Community Church where they were actively involved in small groups and children’s ministry. His favorite ministry was meeting with young engaged couples and sharing wisdom for a long, happy, and prosperous marriage. Carman would openly admit that he was a man of “few words”, but the words he spoke carried deep meaning.
Carman found his talent and vocation in carpentry which led to an amazing career as a home builder, developer, and real estate broker. Over the span of his career, he built over one thousand homes in the Wichita and surrounding area. When he retired from home building, he continued to work as a realtor well into his 80s. His passion was working with young couples who were buying their first homes. He treated home buying as a sacred process, as he believed it was the single most important purchase of a couple’s lifetime: the home is a safe harbor for a family because of the love that will be shared inside the walls. A key signature of building or buying a home with Carman was the gift of a handcrafted wooden cross, made with his own hands. Occasionally, while looking at real estate listings on Zillow, you will see pictures with one of his crosses hanging on the wall and know that home was owned by a family who was blessed by Carman.
Carman enjoyed life to the fullest as was evident in the many activities he pursued. Everything he did was done with excellence. Carman enjoyed bass and deep-sea fishing as well as water-
skiing. On a trip to Hawaii, he even tried surfing! The family also enjoyed many wonderful snow-skiing trips.
When Carman turned 50, he declared he was going to be “a new man” and took up triathlons, competing and excelling at many events. At the urging of his son, he took up golf later in life. He was proud to say that he “shot his age” in his 70s.
He and Norma enjoyed several cross-country trips where they played many well-known golf courses and visited historical places of interest. It was on one of these trips that Carman adopted the nickname “Harley”. While registering to play golf using his given name Carman, the pro shop employee stated she didn’t ask for “his wife’s name.” He politely explained that his name "Carman” was often mistaken for a woman. The employee said, “Well, at least your name isn’t Sue!” He told her to put his name down as “Harley” which is short for his middle name Harlan. From thereafter, he introduced himself as “Harley” to new acquaintances.
When his body no longer cooperated with playing golf, Carman turned to billiards and enjoyed playing with his son and son-in-law. He and his son were active in a local billiards league and like everything else he put his mind to, he excelled by “running out the table”.
Of all Carman’s hobbies, his greatest love was wood working. He had a home wood shop where he would lovingly create crosses and various handcrafted gifts by turning wood. The wood was symbolic of how he viewed people. He would say, "A trunk of wood might look rough, even ugly, but once you start peeling away the outside, what’s inside is quite beautiful and that’s how people are, too. No two trees are exactly alike and no two people are alike. And most of all, each tree reveals something beautiful, just like each person is a beautiful creation of God." Right up until the very end of his life, Carman was enjoying meeting people, learning and remembering their names, and sharing his faith, wisdom and life experiences.
He was preceded in death by: his mother, Anna Pate; Father Carman H. Pate, Sr.; and his sister, Carol Strait.
Carman is survived by his wife of 69 years, Norma Jean Pate; his children, Britt Pate (Colleen), Rebecca Mercer (Shawn); his sister, Cindy (Don) Cachard; his brother, Craig (Jenny) Pate; his grandchildren, Justin Pate, Adam Pate (Magdalena), Nathan Adkins, Alyssa “Liz” Adkins, Jacob Adkins; Steele Mercer; and his great-grandchildren, Ella Fox and Max Fox.
Public Visitation will be held from 4:00 PM ~ 7:00 PM on Friday, March 13, 2026; Graveside Service will be 1:00 PM on Saturday, March 14, 2026, both at Resthaven Mortuary & Gardens of Memory, 11800 West Highway 54, Wichita, Kansas 67209.
Memorial Service will be held 2:00 PM on Sunday, April 19, 2026, at River Community Church, 2130 North Oliver Street, Wichita, Kansas 67208.
In lieu of any floral arrangements, please make memorial donation checks payable to: River Community Church, 2130 North Oliver Street, Wichita, Kansas 67208.
Services have been entrusted to Resthaven Mortuary, Wichita, KS.
