Darrell Dee Cates

1940 - 2017

Darrell Dee Cates was born February 26, 1940, in Anna, IL and passed away April 15, 2017, in Bakersfield, CA.
He earned a BA degree in Music Education from Baylor University in Waco, TX. Upon graduation from Baylor in Spring 1962 he was recruited by Bakersfield City School District to teach music at Curran Junior High School. In 1966 Kern High School District employed him to be Choir Director for North High School. His choirs and triple trios were popular performers around Bakersfield and also traveled to our sister city, Wakayama, Japan to perform. Darrell took a sabbatical in 1974 to earn a Masters Degree in Guidance and Counseling at California State University, Bakersfield. The following year he returned to North High as a Counselor and later became Director of Guidance. He left North High School in 1994 for a position at Bakersfield Adult School as Guidance Counselor and later as Data Assessment Director. Although he entered the full retirement phase of his life in 2009, he still continued to work on a part-time basis until 2017.
He had many talents and many facets to his well-ordered life: Educator, Actor, Singer, Vocal Director and Director in numerous stage productions for Bakersfield Community Theater, Starlight of Kern and Bakersfield Civic Light Opera and maintained a private voice studio as well.
Darrell leaves behind a loving extended family of friends and relatives. He requested that there be no services. He will be cremated and at a later date returned to Anna, IL. to be interred in the family plot. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the most current reputable animal sanctuary for homeless and suffering animals.