Billy Ray “Bill” Cates, age 89, of Frisco, Texas, passed away February 21, 2021. Bill was born December 24, 1931, near Weston, Texas, in Collin County, to William Clarence and Jewel Emma (Speck) Cates. He married Anna Lois Marion on March 12, 1955, in Amarillo, Texas.
A lifelong resident of what is now Frisco, Bill spent his first 19 years living on a farm about a mile east of the old Foncine Store. He attended local schools, his first seven at the old Rowlett School (located at the current intersection of Eldorado and Custer) and then his last years at Frisco High School. He graduated from Frisco in 1948 at the age of sixteen. After high school, Bill worked various short-term jobs before landing work on the assembly line at Ford Motor Company in Dallas from 1949 to 1953 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. A veteran of the Korean Conflict, to include service as a Forward Observer for Artillery, he was honorably discharged in January 1955 and resumed his work for Ford in Dallas. Bill changed jobs in 1964, going to work for Texas Power & Light (TP&L) Company in Frisco; he worked for TP&L for 28 years, retiring in 1992. His life in Frisco included many years in multiple volunteer positions with his church, First Baptist of Frisco, and in organized youth sports, scouting and other community organizations. He was known far and wide as someone who would help anyone, anywhere, anytime. In 2013, Bill and his wife Lois were named the Frisco Silver Citizens of the Year, and in 2017, Bill was named Frisco’s Distinguished Veteran of the Year.
Bill is survived by his sons, Michael Cates (wife Linda) of Frisco, Texas, and Scott Cates (wife Stacie) of Pilot Point, Texas; his grandchildren, Tyler Bridge (wife Harley) of Nevada, Texas, Alexis Cates Smith (husband Zach) of College Station Texas, and William Cates (fiancée, Emily) of Olean, New York; his great-granddaughter, Stella Bridge; his “adopted” grandchildren Allison McFadden Wooten and Michael McFadden; and his numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife Lois, his parents Clarence and Jewel, his sister Patricia Cates Helms, and his brother-in-law Merle Helms.
A private burial will be in Ridgeview Memorial Park, and a subsequent memorial service and gathering of friends will be held at a later date yet to be determined. Cards or notes may be sent to the Bill Cates Family, P.O. Box 75, Frisco, TX 75034.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Bill may be sent to Frisco Education Foundation, P.O. Box 567, Frisco TX 75034 or through the donate button on the FEF website (www.friscoeducationfoundation.org). Please note the donation is to be in memory of Bill Cates.