Wesley Lamar Cates, Jr., 67, was called home to the Lord on Saturday, January 30, 2021, after losing his battle with COVID-19. Wesley was born on December 14, 1953 in Shreveport, LA. He was the oldest of three children born to Wesley L. Cates and Olga Camille Jones Cates. He was raised in and lived his entire life in the Greenwood area. As a child he spent his time outdoors, playing baseball, and helping out on the family dairy farm. Wesley attended Fair Park High School and Baptist Christian High School, graduating in 1971. He married Karen Louise Frazier in 1976 and had two sons. Wesley and Karen enjoyed a wonderful and loving marriage for 41 years until her passing in 2017. After the death of his first wife, Wesley was blessed to find love again with Ms. Linda Bennett, who has been a loving partner for the last few years.
Wesley spent the majority of his working career as a welder at the local General Electric plant where he started working at the age of 19 and continued until his retirement nearly 40 years later. Wesley led a very active life and had trouble sitting still for very long. In his younger days, Wesley spent lots of time building and riding motorcycles. He also spent lots of time and energy working on cars. He took pride in his 1964 Dodge Dart and could be found racing it at the drag strip in Hallsville, TX on the weekends. Wesley loved sports, especially baseball and football. He was a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys, but neither reached the same level of passion he had watching and cheering on our LSU Tigers!! His love of sports carried over into his children's lives as Wesley spent about 15 years coaching youth baseball and football in Shreveport, where he was able to make impactful relationships with many young boys and men during their childhoods. An avid outdoorsman, Wesley enjoyed hunting and developed a strong passion for fishing. Most spare moments he had were spent on a lake. Wesley was a member of the Waskom Bass Club for 20 years, serving as the President for the last 16 years.
Wesley was a hard worker who never did anything half-way. He was very friendly and a bit of a "talker." He could draw out telling a story with details like no other. Wesley also had a love for people. His outgoing personality led to the development of many great friendships over the years. He was known to be very reliable and willing to help others in any way he could. Wesley enjoyed cooking for family gatherings, especially his fried fish dinners and his "famous" potato salad.
Wesley accepted Christ into his heart at a young age and was a member of First Baptist Church of Greenwood. Wesley was preceded in death by his father, Wesley L. Cates, and his wife, Karen Cates. He is survived by his son, Shane Cates; son, Cody Cates and wife Jessica; mother, Camille Cates; brother, Michael Cates and wife Daphne; sister, Brenda Cates; fiancé, Linda Bennett; and grandchildren, Bailey, Makenna, Logan, Addison, and Abigail; as well as many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made to First Baptist Church of Greenwood, 7042 Howell St., Greenwood, LA 71033.
Funeral Services will be held Friday, February 5th at 2pm. Visitation with the family will be Thursday, February 4th from 4-6pm. Both will be at Centuries Memorial Funeral Home, 8801 Mansfield Rd., Shreveport, LA 71108. Officiating the service will be Dr. Kenny Joyner.
