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Robert Cates
Date Of Birth: May-26-1951
Date Deceased: Jan-01-2013
Age at Death: 61
Survived By: Daughters Ginnie Dawn and Tina; Sons Jeremy and Clovis;
Grandsons Levi, Jonathon, Christopher, Dallas, Ian and Leanna
Robert, Known as Bob by friends and Daddy by his children, was a deeply compassionate and loving man. He was retired from Air Force from which he went on to raise Clovis and Tina as a single parent and moved to Nevada where he cared for his parents until they passed away. Bob was an extremely talented musician and singer. He played harmonica, pan flute, 12 string and bass guitar and piano. He had quit the green thumb and was a professional chef and baker. He loved helping others and was well known for his extreme generosity. His presence and smile will be deeply missed.
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Nancy Thomason (1970)
We were known as" Bonnie and Clyde" in highschool, driving around in your 52 Chevy, you taught me how to drive in that car. You were my first love, so intense was this love that it should not have been called a "Puppy Love" Three years and so many adventures together. Swimming in the Cheyenne Mountain Res., driving to Cripple Creek on the Gold Camp Road and going down into the mines. I would follow you everywhere, even places I knew were dangerous, like Hucky's Cove next to the Cave of the Winds with nothing but a cigarette lighter to see our way. You were always looking for adventure, picking up Baby Rattle Snakes and throwing them down the mountain. You have always been in my thoughts all these years, and I'm crying today, just finding out a few minutes ago that you've moved on to yet another adventure. I've always loved you and I hope you are looking over me and smiling as I write about these precious memories. You were a comfort to me in those years that for me were often difficult.
I'll sing the song you dedicated to our time together today. "So Happy Together"
Love Always Nancy Thomason
Teila Carroll (Tankersley) (1981)
Here is another post from Nancy Thomason: Robert Cates, my first love, died on Jan 1, 2013, class of 1969 and I learned of his passing, I wanted to share this. - Nancy
A tribute to her first love:
Rocky Mountain Playground
Colorado Springs didn’t have a shopping mall in the sixties when I was in high school, so I followed my boyfriend around and we found lots of adventures in the Rocky Mountains. Bob and I were also known as Bonnie and Clyde to our friends, not because we held up banks like the characters they portrayed in the movie, but because he drove a 1952 Grey Chevy and we went everywhere together in that car.
It was a bright sunny Saturday morning when Bob picked me up. “Nancy I have a surprise for you and I hope you don’t chicken out when you see where this surprise place is,” he said grinning. I saw the sign for “The Cave of The Winds” as we approached our destination, but didn’t want to tell him that I had already been to the cave with my parents. He pulled the car over to the side of the road to park and pointed to a small opening in the side of the mountain. ”There it is that’s Hucky’s Cove and the greatest thing of all is it won’t cost us a dime to get in,” he said feeling good about not spending money we didn’t have. “How do we get up there?” I asked, afraid of the answer he would give me. “Let me put it this way, I hope you’re not wearing high heels,” he shot back with a gleam in his eyes, motioning me to follow him up the mountain.
Standing at the opening to the cave we both took a minute to adjust to the altitude when I thought to ask, “Is it dark inside the cave?” Bob paused for a moment and replied, “You won’t be able to see your hand in front of your face without some light.” “OK… so where are the flashlights?” I asked as he casually lit a cigarette. “Oh I don’t think we’ll need a flash light, this lighter should do the job,” he said taking a long look at the lighter. “But what if the lighter goes out; won’t we be lost in the darkness?” I was thinking of running back down the mountain as I yelled out the question. “Hey you’re with me Bonnie and you know if Bob can’t protect you from harm then Clyde will,” he pulled me close and kissed my head.
As he held me close I quietly sang one of my favorite songs, “I will follow him, follow him wherever he may go, there isn’t a mountain too high, and an ocean so deep it can keep me away.” I couldn’t sing it like Connie Francis did, but the song fit the moment. “That’s my girl!” Bob said, “don’t let anything keep you from being with me and following me on my adventures.” I loved Bob and wanted to be with him always and go where he wanted me to go; maybe this was going to be a test of my love for him.
“OK, I trust you with my life, let’s go down!” I said happily. Bob laughed and said, “That’s the spirit baby, you’re going to love this place.” He put the lighter in his shirt pocket, patting it as if to make sure it was secure and slid down the opening. When he got to the bottom he stood with the lighter in hand waiting for me, I slid down the rocky tunnel, knocking him over when I landed. We were both on the ground when I realized I could hear both of us moving around but I couldn’t see anything! Just as I was about to panic I saw the flicker of the flame and Bob’s face shining through a mellow yellow haze. “I told you I’d watch after you,” he said, sounding relieved that he was able to feel the cave floor for the lighter.
We began walking through the cave and the flame from the lighter took on the appearance of a large torch in the pitch black darkness. Looking down I could see what looked like a thousand pair of eyes staring up at me, instant terror gripped me, my heart jumped and I started to scream, but as I opened my mouth I saw something ahead that was so beautiful the scream froze in my throat! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, so surreal it was, as if I had put my head into an opening in the cave and become part of a brilliantly lit fairytale.
As I looked closer I could see that the dots of light were actually fire flies touching down on what looked like a lake. With each flight upward the flies were carrying a small drop of water that stretched out into a thin line and held the light. Now what I was seeing looked like a planetary guide with lines attached to dots going in all directions. Suddenly the fire flies seem to sense our presence and flew away from the water in all directions, the cave was now filled with light and I could see magnificent crystals on the cave wall. I put my hand out to Bob and pulled him along toward the cave entrance following the flies as they led the way. Bob must have known that the cave had its own light and wanted to surprise me, which explained why he didn’t bring the flashlights. Without any more doubt I knew I would follow him, yes I trusted him and would follow him wherever he would go.
Nancy Lee Thomason
In Memory of Bob Cates May 26, 1951 to Jan. 1, 2013