Gary Wayne Cates was born on March 3, 1953, in Bastrop, Louisiana to Addie Ann Cates and Willie Mac Cates. He joined our heavenly father on March 1, 2024, two days before his 71st birthday from a massive heart attack. Gary was the 3rd child of four, Brenda, Danny and Sandra and the 3rd grandchild. Hence his favorite number was 3. Gary grew up in Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, and lastly Idaho. As a child he liked to roller skate, bowl, play pool, BB guns, and going to the movie theater. He got his love for pool from Pete's pool hall. On Saturday mornings Addie would drop them off at the movies or bowling while she worked at the cafe. Gary was common law married to Vicky Lynn Cates of Nampa, Idaho. They had a daughter Cassie Ann Cates in November of 1978. He really wanted a boy and while she was being delivered the doctor said, "it’s too pretty to be a boy" and he said, "We haven’t seen the rest of it yet!" Her name would have been Levi if she was a boy so Cassie gave him a grandson named Levi. Later he fell in love with Leah Johnson and her children and loved them as his own. His last love was Lisa Peterson, and he was devastated when she passed. Gary attended many schools as his father had a mobile crusher and they moved frequently. A few of those schools were Bastrop Elementary in Bastrop, LA, Central Jr High and Nampa High School in Nampa, Idaho. He met one of his lifelong friends, Allen Green, at Nampa High. In high school he drove a 1951 Chevy that he nicknamed the MOD. Gary lived in Bastrop and Lake Providence, Louisiana; Hobbs, Grants, and Albuquerque, New Mexico; Kermit and El Paso, Texas; and Nampa, where he met lifelong friends Sam Longstreet and Harold Smith, of Homedale and Larry Ulineck of Greenleaf, Idaho. They didn’t have many family trips but the one they did changed his life. While on the way to Idaho to visit Uncle Frank for Christmas they got in a tragic wreck that took his father's life on Christmas eve, he was only 5 years old. Gary leaves behind many legacies such as his cooking and outdoorsmanship. He made the best hamburger steaks and gravy with homemade fries and homemade buttermilk biscuits and of course his famous fish fries. The grand kids would tell him, "Papa when are you gonna make more of that chicken?", aka fish. He taught us to fish, camp, rock hunt and shoot a gun, sometimes all of them before we could go home. He would find an arrowhead and hide it in your path so that you thought you found it. Gary was a jack of all trades and a master of some. He was a heavy equipment operator and could drive anything with gears. He also could fix anything from small engines like weed eaters to big diesel trucks and heavy equipment. A month before passing Cassie asked him to fix the heater in her car, he went out and came back after a minute and said, “it’s fixed” and she said “'what did you do”? He said, “I kicked it”! He always knew what to do. Gary was baptized when he was a little boy as a Southern Baptist along with his siblings except Breanda. Gary was a sportsman. He loved fishing, rock hunting, pheasant hunting, deer hunting, camping, pool, and cards. He loved the Owyhees, Snake River, Map Rock Road, Celebration Park and any pub with a pool table. Gary will always be remembered as the jokester. He was always pulling peoples legs or having them pull his finger. He was a giver and would give the shirt off his back. Always willing to lend a hand even if he complained later. He was a great friend until the end. Gary is survived by his daughter Cassie Ann Cates; his extended family: Leah Johnson, Cainen Bleu Johnson, Chauntae Marie Johnson and Katrina Laray Johnson; sister Brenda (Don) Johnson; brothers Danny (Rhonda) Cates and Larry Myers; grandkids: Adrianna, Sativa, Gabriel Wayne Cates (GWC), Delilah, Levi, Zeke, Bryan, Alex, Jessica, Kanyon, Kayla, Damien, Lilli, and Connor. He is Preceded in death by his mother Addie Sherman; father, Willie Cates; sister Sandra Myers; is ex-wife Vicky Cates; and the last love of his life Lisa Peterson. Also, his grandson Bryan Johnson and best friend Sam Longstreet.. Funeral service will be held Friday March 15th, 2024. Viewing at 1 pm service at 2pm at Zeyer Funeral Chapel 83 N Midland Blvd. Nampa, ID 83651. In lieu of flowers please donate to the go fund me for Gary Cates or bring lottery tickets to scratch with him or bring fishing tackle and give to the grand kids he would have loved that. https://gofund.me/00fa92f0.
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