David Lee Quate, 87, passed away peacefully on November 14, 2020. He was born Feb 20, 1933 in Goldsboro, NC. and was preceded in death by his wife, Joanne L. Quate; parents, Guy and Julia Quate; brother, Neil Quate; son-in-law, Scott Clayton; and cousin, C.W. Quate and his wife, Hazel.
Mom and Dad were married on February 1, 1957. They started their married life moving to Florida living there for 12 months. The family grew and the adventures continued. The most significant adventure was our family surviving hurricane Camille and walking out of the mountains of Virginia crossing flooded rivers, washed out fields and roads. After 3 years and 2 more floods the family moved to North Carolina where Mom and Dad started their new adventure owning a business. Always concerned with family fun, Dad and Mom kept our lives exciting with a home at Smith Mountain Lake, a pool for family events; and every Christmas, birthday and holiday was spent together.
Dad had an incredible work ethic and several customers and employees noted that David brought integrity, honor and a sense of humor to the workplace. He was known for his knowledge in the field of Industrial Construction and built many
lasting relationships throughout his career. As a life long learner, David loved to read, was in awe of the natural wonders of this world and loved to challenge people to think about things differently even if the final result was the same. He was a strong debater and loved to challenge friends and foes on a variety of topics.
A Free Mason for more than 60 years and a veteran of the Armed Forces, David was a true patriot and was proud of his country. He enjoyed traveling the United States with his wife Joanne. David was a family man, and was proud of his children and his family, and enjoyed seeing their accomplishments. Being a proud grandfather and great grandfather, he enjoyed going to recitals and games and would frequently travel out-of-state in support of his family.
David and Joanne taught dance at Arthur Murray Studios. Dancing was a true passion of theirs and they were known on several occasions to clear the dance floor with their moves. He loved music and the chance it gave him to cut loose with Joanne.
David is survived by his children, Rusty Quate (Cathy), Cindy Mann (David), Mendy Clayton and Beth Mills (Robbie); grandchildren, Chris Cotten (Molly), Jessica Williams (Michael), Ashley Dyer, Zach Quate (Paige), Haley Varner (Levi), Blake Mills (Maya) and Sydney Quate; eight great grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Brenda Yack (Roger) and an extended family of nieces and nephews.
A private service will be held at Mitchell Funeral Home, with interment to follow at Raleigh Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, donations are appreciated for the Masonic Home for Children, mhc-oxford.org; Wounded Warrior Project, Donor Care Center PO Box 758533 Topeka, Kansas 66675-8533; St. Jude Childrenʼs Research Hospital at stjude.org or Shriners Hospital for Children at donate.lovetotherescue.org
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18