John Anthony Cate

1952 - 2020

John Anthony Cate

John Anthony [Tony] Cate, age 67, died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes on Saturday, March 21, 2020, at his home in Asheville, NC.

Tony was born in Martinez, CA, on November 11, 1952, to Mary Louise Cate. He was raised in the Tilton, NH, area by his father, Carl Cate. He attended local schools, and graduated from Manchester High School Central in 1971. From an early age, Tony began developing his lifelong passions for photography, computers, chess, and music. For many years, he was the Central high school newspaper photographer, and played guitar and sang in a folk band, performing throughout Manchester pubs and coffee houses in the early 1970s. He continued to nurture these endeavors to varying degrees throughout his life. Later into his 20's, he developed a love for road cycling, which he pursued relentlessly through the hills of NH, the plains of Minnesota, and the mountains of North Carolina, with his life-long cycling buddy and brother-in-law, Michael Koza.

In 1974, he married Lila Koza Cate, and with her son Ben, they formed the family that has been the central joy of his life for the last 45 years. Only for them would he have volunteered to coach Ben's youth hockey team without a shred of ice skating skill. A gifted computer programmer/developer, Tony most recently worked for Auction Edge in Statesville, NC, competing in chess tournaments on weekends.

Tony is survived by his wife Lila of Asheville, NC; son Benjamin Adams and his wife Sharen of Manchester, NH; Step-mother, Alice Berry of Tilton, NH; Sisters-in-law Andrea Koza Dunn of Manchester, Ginny Koza Auger [Mike] of Northwood, NH, and MaryAnn Koza [Ross Hollowell] of Herman, Maine; Brother-in-law Michael Koza [Christine Riley] of Asheville; Grandchildren Charlotta Ouellette [Alec] of Brooklyn, NY, David Ouellette [David] of Methuen, MA, Dillon Ouellette [Stephanie] and great grandchild Zoie of Manchester, NH; and several nieces and nephews, all of whom have their own hilarious stories about adventures with Uncle Tony.

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Ray Funeral & Cremation Services of Asheville. There will be no funeral services at this time. A memorial celebration is being planned for July 2020 in New Hampshire. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to the Blue Ridge Parkway 717 S. Marshall St. Suite 105B Winston Salem, NC 27101, where Tony put in some of his most enjoyable cycling miles over the last 10 years.

Acknowledgements may be made at rayfuneralcremation.com.