Opal Irene Cates

Mrs. Opal Irene Cates Cates, 75, resident of Graham Road in Culleoka, died Monday, January 3, 2005 at Maury Regional Hospital. Graveside services will be conducted at 1 p.m., Wednesday at Friendship Cemetery with Rev. Bobby Cates officiating. The family will visit with friends Wednesday from 10 - 12:30 p.m. at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home. Notes of sympathy may be sent to the family at www.oakesandnichols.com. The Maury County native was the daughter of the late Dewey Cates and Lily Baker Cates. In 1949 she married Chames Oscar Cates who preceded her in death November 12, 1985. She was a member of Mission Chapel Baptist Church. Survivors include her son, James Ronald (Peggy) Cates of Culleoka; three brothers, Harold (Wanda) Cates and Bobby (Debbie Jean) Cates both of Columbia, Dale (Nancy) Cates of Williamsport; three granddaughters, Sherry (Aubrey) Smithson, Mandy Cates and Tammy Cates all of Culleoka; one grandson, Ronald N. Cates of Culleoka; great-grandson, Andrew Cates of Culleoka; and three sisters-in-law, Jennie Cates of Glendale, Nellie Cates of Williamsport and Maude Cates of Columbia. She was preceded in death by a son, Frankie Edward Cates, two sisters, Shirley Ketchum, Dorothy Chapman and four brothers, Gene Cates, Billy Cates, Velton "Monk" Cates and Velvis "Toots" Cates. Pallbearers will be Aubrey Smithson, Ricky Cates, Dale Cates, Steven Cates and Ronald Cates.