Bevan Cates info

[Focks]

I am hoping Smokey will keep Bevans SSR and become more active on here. As I mentioned to Mike, while she has family in California, she has an even larger extended family here.

[artsmart]

Originally Posted by LTs SSR

Just got in... It was a hard morning for me... but got thru it with the help of my friends. After the service, Mike in AZ, Lloger & hdflstf were figuring out how to line up the "honor guard" for a couple of pictures... As I watched them...I thought about the last couple of hours... between the coffee and breakfast, caravaning out to the desert, the service, talking with the family... the tears and the hugs... these Fanatics are really good men!! I am honored to know you guys!!

How wonderful you all are for going to Bevan's services and offering Smokey the love and support of her extended SSR family. You are right, Linda, it is an honor to know Lloyd, Art, Mike, AND you along with all the great co-pilots. The email from Smokey just proves how much Bevan thought of the Fanatics as well.

[LTs SSR]

Just heard back from Smokey... She thanked us for coming and sent a copy of the eulogy...

The soloist at church sang "Danny Boy" and somehow both girls stood proud after Father Lincoln's beautiful service.....then Jennifer proceeded with the eulogy as Angie stood by her side..........

Thank you all for coming to honor our dad, husband, brother, neighbor and friend, Bevan Cates. We know some of you have traveled from great distances and dad would be touched.



For nearly 30 years dad has been my hero so it's impossible to share just one favorite story or memory about him. I know what he would want all of us to do is to focus on all the laughs and good times rather than the void. When we lived in Seattle we had a one of a kind priest from Ireland, Fr. Lovett, and when he heard about dad he called and said 'I know when God saw Bevan up there, he smiled."



Among many other things, dad was a proud fightin' Texas Aggie. It is one of the things I am most proud to have had in common with him. Once I became an Aggie, I quickly learned why my dad was so passionate about his former school. We have a saying about Aggieland, "From the outside, looking in, you can't understand it. And from the inside, looking out, you can't explain it." Ironically now, this also explains dad's love.



From an early age he instilled in Angie and I that there was a 'right way to do things.' The right way, meant always giving 100%. It didn't matter if the task was mowing the lawn or starting a new job, there was only one way to do it properly or you might as well not do it. Dad had an unbelievable work ethic and he applied it to his career, his relationships and, his golf game. He knew that anything worth having, required work, hard work. Dad had a knack for knowing when you hadn't given your best and this usually resulted in what he affectionately termed, "A Come to Jesus Meeting." This meeting encompassed only two people…you and dad. They involved little talking on your part and much listening because as dad would often remind me, "God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason, so you can listen twice as much as you talk."



He was passionate about his golf game. He would harp on us about working on our short games. 'If you can chip and putt, you can play' he would say. He introduced us to golf at an early age, never dreaming we would both have careers in the sport, but hoping we could use it to further our careers and knowing it would teach us valuable lessons about life and the character of ourselves and others.



In Seattle, we had a weekend routine…5PM mass on Saturday and 8AM tee time on Sunday. Angie and I would wake up many a chilly winter morning, dreading teeing off with far too many clothes on to make any sort of a swing and watching our ball hit frozen greens only to go skyrocketing over, but dad loved it and now, we treasure those memories.



Christmas was his favorite time of year. If you have ever seen their home and all the décor during Christmas, you know it is also my mom's favorite time of year. Dad loved to give her a hard time and often joked that all the lights were throwing off air traffic control but I know he loved every strand of lights and stuffed reindeer. He also loved to open presents, especially early. We would go around and open gifts one at a time and you would look over at dad's pile and he would already have taken the bows off five different presents, "I'm just getting ready," he'd say. But most of all, he cherished Christmas because it meant the family was together. He had a dream once we were all settled that we would all live in the same community…the Cates Compound.



Dad took to you quickly if he saw potential and he could ride you pretty hard if you started to slack or get too comfortable. It took me some time to realize this was only because he cared so much. He spent most of his life believing in me more than I believed in myself. After qualifying for the golf team at Texas A&M dad wrote me a letter. It ends,

"Trust yourself. More important than anything else always remember that I love you (even more than Hogan). Qualifying was just part of the process, now go out there with that aggie spirit and do your best. Be relaxed, but the most important part of all of this, is to have FUN. You have proven you belong now enjoy the ride and I will be riding with you every step of the way. I will always be there for you. Gig 'em, Dad."



I learned in college to truly value his advice, and I have come to rely on it. He had a wealth of experience no matter the subject and would always know what to tell you. I knew I could call him anytime to talk, and you could guarantee the conversation ending with him asking, "what can I do to help?"



He was never idle, always on the move and usually starting at the crack of dawn. On vacations, and in retirement, there was always an agenda packed full, or something new he wanted to become involved with. I remember our first family trip to Ireland. Dad was so excited to take the whole family. He sent out the first draft of the agenda, about a year before our departure date. As usual, it was busy from sun up to sun down. I remember Angie asking, "Um dad, do you think we could take a day off to just relax and maybe do some sightseeing?" In compromise, dad made one of the days 18 holes instead of 36 holes.



Angie and I were blessed to watch his relationship with mom. They were best friends. You could be assured if you were calling one of them, you were going to talk to both because they were always together. They put the other first in their thoughts and actions. As a child you cannot ask for a better example of sacrifice and devotion. They taught us the value of family. They made sure we always said 'I love you' daily, several times a day, and demonstrated this love to us in countless ways.



It wouldn't be complete to talk about dad and not mention Hogan, Lord of the dogs. Angie and I joke that he is the favorite child, after all, he has more degrees than both of us combined and he'd probably still be more intelligent without all those degrees. Hogan is just another example of my dad's commitment to surround himself with the best. He said, 'If you're gonna have a dog, then you have to train it.' A few days ago, Angie ran across an email he had sent to one of Hogan's Trainers when he was still a puppy, (working on his masters). It read,



"I would like for you to review & reinforce all commands both voice and whistle with Hogan, make sure he steadies up good & then also train him on hand commands. Hogan had a good year hunting & he loves it. He learns fast & pays attention real well. My problem, is at home, with my daughters, who are not consistent with him, and I have noticed he is an all together different dog in the field, than around the house. Good luck. Bevan"



Because dad worked so hard, we were able to see and do fantastic things as a family. We are so thankful our parents did these things early and often with us and didn't wait. These are lessons we will carry on as our family grows. Spend quality time together, laugh often, say I love you more often and never forget the value of family. We have so many special occasions and special trips because of this and these memories are a blessing now. I wish we could all tee it up together one more time, so I could hear him ask on the first tee, "Got any money in your bag? Want a piece of the ol' man today?" I will always, have that piece of him in my heart. There is an ache without him, but underlying that there is peace because my dad is home.



Gig 'em Dad.