Carl became interested in motorcycles, and as a young teen he built his own moped by installing an engine on a bicycle; this developed into a further love of all things mechanical. By the time he was 16, he had overhauled his first car engine. Later he rebuilt and restored several older, vintage motorcycles.
He married Marilyn Bowerman in February of 1954. They later celebrated 63 years of marriage.
Carl spent many years as a heavy equipment mechanic at Plains Machinery Company. Prior to retiring in 1998, he was an equipment maintenance supervisor for the Texas Department of Transportation.
During his retirement, he liked to travel and fish with his wife. Carl and Marilyn had a little competition to see who could catch the most fish. He liked to travel to different places and visit with his kids and grandkids along the way.
Carl enjoyed building and flying model airplanes. He introduced his son to control line model airplanes, and this led to competitive flying where they were a team. They competed in many contests over several years. Later, Carl became interested in building and flying radio control model airplanes and he enjoyed this for many years. If the wind wasn’t blowing above 10 or 15 miles per hour, he was out flying with his buddies.
Another of his pastimes was reading western novels – especially Louis L’Amour. He also liked to watch westerns as the stories played out in movies.
Carl was a kind-hearted soul who never met a stranger. He loved his family and was especially fond of playing with his grandkids and great-grandkids. He was also a member of the Lubbock Baptist Temple.
He leaves behind his wife, Marilyn Cates; a sister, Annie Lou Cates Jackson; a son, Steve Cates and his wife Debbie Prater Cates; two daughters, Dianne Cates Foster and Carla Dometrius; six grandchildren, Kristy Pena, Candace Mahaffey, Brandon Cates, Michelle Foster, Zane Lewis, and Holden Dometrius; and four great-grandkids, Carter Cates, Wyatt Mahaffey, Katalina Pena, and Lillie Mahaffey.
Visitation will be on Thursday, July 13 from 6-8 PM, and services will be held on Friday, July 14 at 10 AM – both at Resthaven Funeral Home - Memorial Park.
Celebrate the life of Carl, and in lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the National Parkinson Association at www.parkinson.org.
Arrangements under the direction of Resthaven Funeral Home & Memorial Park, Lubbock, TX.
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