Marjorie Cate Obituary

Marjorie Cate 1920 – 2020

Marjorie Cate, nee Wood, who immigrated from England to the US at an early age, grew up in New York City, and later made western Kansas her home, died on June 29, in Lawrence, Kansas. She was just 3 days shy of her 100th birthday.

Marge was born in Liverpool, England on July 2, 1920. Her father, Harry E. Wood, was chief engineer in the British Merchant Marine; he was at sea in the Atlantic Ocean the night the Titanic sank and some early reports indicated that it was his ship that had gone down. Her mother, Mary Singleton, was from the town of Birkenhead, close to Liverpool. Having spent so much time at sea that their son Harry (also known as Sid) did not recognize him, and because of the shortage of land jobs after the first World War, Harry, Mary, Sid and Marge immigrated to the US in 1921. They settled in Jamaica, a town in the borough of Queens in New York City. Marge attended primary and secondary school in Jamaica.

Following high school, Marge attended business school and then went to work at Parents Magazine, whose office was located in Manhattan. In 1944, Marge joined the WAVES, a branch of the United States Naval Reserve during World War II, where she worked in a Navy post office in San Francisco. It was there that she met Robert Cate, who was also in the Navy, and from the town of Almena, Kansas. They married on March 16, 1946 in San Francisco. After being discharged, they travelled back to the New York by train, stopping in Kansas for a time to visit Bob's family. It was her first visit to Kansas.

After a short stay in upstate New York, they settled in Elmont, New York, on Long Island. It was there that they raised four children, Ronald, Philip, Richard, and Debora. During this time, Marge worked at the Floral Park Bank. The family would take trips each summer, first to Ormond Beach, Florida to visit Marge's parents (where they had relocated) and then to Almena, Kansas to spend time with Bob's family.

In 1973, Marge and Robert moved back to Almena. She worked at the Norton State Hospital for a number of years. Marge became a devoted Kansan, learning to enjoy life in a small rural town. They continued to travel extensively, going back east to visit their children, and going on trips to the Northwest and Alaska. They also visited England and met some of her relatives for the first time.

After Bob died in 2001, Marge continued to visit her children in New York, Massachusetts and Florida. She enjoyed working at the Prairie Dog Press, where she was highly praised as an avid proofreader. In 2014 Marge moved to Lawrence to be closer to her daughter. She resided at Brandon Woods until 2017 and then moved to Monterey Village where she stayed until her death.

Marge was preceded in death by her parents, brother Sid, husband Bob, and son Ronald. She is survived by her children Philip (Megan), Richard (Barbara), and Debora Rawlings (Richard); nine grandchildren (Dawn, Robert, Terry, Billy, Ronald, Douglas, Darren, Robert, and Petra); five great grandchildren (Jordan, James, Ian, Owen, and Emery); sister-in-law Adelia Wilnerd; nieces (Gayle, Nancy, Barbara); and nephews (James and Robert).

GRAVESIDE SERVICE AND INURNMENT – Friday, July 3, 2020 – 1:30 p.m.

PLACE – Mt. Hope Cemetery – Almena, KS

MEMORIAL – Prairie Dog Press – Almena, KS

CONDOLENCES – www.enfieldfh.com

ARRANGEMENTS BY – Enfield Funeral Home – 215 W. Main – Norton, KS 67654