William "Bill" Cates

William D. Cates, Jr., 73 of Madisonville, KY passed away Saturday, April 29, 2017 at his residence.
Mr. Cates was born February 20, 1944 in Barnsley, KY to the late William Davis Cates, Sr. and Helen Blanchard Cates. He was also preceded in death by one brother, Gary Barber.
He worked for Peabody Coal for 30 years and Island Creek Coal for five. He was a member of UMWA and he loved mowing grass, self educating himself on challenging things, crossword puzzles and the outdoors.
He is survived by his companion, Patty Duncan of Madisonville; two sons, Scott (Mary) Cates of Cape Girardeau, MO and Brian (Pamela) Cates of Mt. Vernon, IL; four sisters, Sandra (Bob) McGary of Madisonville, Beth (Harold) Whitfield of Bowling Green, KY, Vivian Payne of Nortonville, KY, and Annette Harralson of Madisonville; two brothers, Joe Cates of Bethesda, MD and Larry (Amber) Barber of Nortonville; six grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held privately with burial to follow in Grapevine Cemetery.