George Stillman Cates, Jr.

WITCHITA, Kan. – It is with great sadness we announce that George Stillman Cates, Jr. passed away on the 5th of May 2021 in Wichita, Kan. He is survived by sons William Thomas and Barry Garland Cates.

Born on the 28th of November, 1927 in Togus, Maine at the Veterans Hospital, he was the son of George Stillman, Sr. and Agatha Hatch Cates. George’s siblings include Rachel, Elzina, Nellie, Geneva, Gilbert, Kenneth, and Gleason. All were raised in the Torsey View House of Kents Hill. The home became a favorite of Kents HIll High School students while enjoying Grammie Cates’s pies and other baked goods. The surrounding woods, lakes and streams became George’s playground. He was eager to introduce these places to his sons later on in life.

With dreams of travel and a desire to escape the harsh winters of the northeast, George departed Maine at the early age of 16. Making his way to Miami, Fla. he enlisted into the United States Navy and became a photojournalist. His 30 years of service allowed him to venture from the South Pacific to Iceland, serve on a variety of ships, mingle with Hollywood stars and do his very best to raise a family.

George’s wives included Marilyn, Sara, Lorelei, Barbara, and Moe, all who have passed on as well. Raising sons Karl, Bill and Barry proved challenging but he persevered, and in doing so,

George left behind a legacy of many grandchildren and great-grandchildren across the country.

He was an avid hunter, fisherman and gardener. Hunts in Maine often produced deer on opening day and he could be found on the lakes in winter and summer pursuing various species of fish. When not chasing wildlife, George would be transplanting birch trees and growing vegetables of all types. He truly was an outdoorsman in every sense of the word.

Storytelling was another great passion of his. Oftentimes he would set out driving the countryside in search of a story, and as you would expect of a great hunter, he was often successful in finding one. During his life, he interviewed many souls and documented their various tales. During his twilight years, he freelanced for Life of the Ozarks and told the story of the Pelonia tree and a new craze for EarthShips.

His greatest legacy is his sons and the spirit of adventure that lives on through them, passed on to their children and beyond. To quote Eleanor Roosevelt: “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”

A memorial service will be held for George with military honors at the Columbarium Niche Wall on Blue Star Avenue Augusta Maine on the 24th of November, 2021 at noon. For further details, feel free to contact his son Barry via email at: [email protected]