George Cates

Cates, George Beloved husband of Miriam, loving and devoted father of Richard, adored stepfather of Sindy and Mark Bregman, passed away on May 10, 2002. George was an arran-ger, composer, and for 30 years musical director and conductor of the Lawrence Welk Orchestra.
George was born in 1911 in New York City. Although his parents, Sadie and Isidor, urged him to attend law school, he decided to pursue a career in music. After playing with the Dick Stabile and Henry Busse bands, he joined the Russ Morgan Orchestra in 1939 as a tenor saxophone player and arranger. During World War II, George served in the Navy where he taught music and organized bands for the war effort. At the conclusion of the war, he settled in Los Angeles. George met and married the compassionate and gracious Ruth Rubin in 1948. As his musical career flourished, he became a division head for Decca Records where he arranged and recorded such stars as Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, the Andrew Sisters and many others. George and Ruth's children, Richard and Gail, were born in 1949 and 1951, respectively. In 1951, George met Lawrence Welk and what began as a simple record contract grew into the position of Musical Director of the Lawrence Welk Show. His arranging and composing garnered him five Gold Records in the 1960's. During that time he and Ruth took great pleasure in raising Richard and Gail. They took them on many trips abroad, encouraging them to pursue their own interests, and fostered their independence. After Ruth's death in 1973, George dedicated his energies to the Welk Show and became well recognized by the public as a leading member of the Welk family. The enormously popular television show appeared weekly from 1951 until 1983 and is still in syndication airing on over 200 stations weekly. In 1976, he married Miriam Bregman and together they pursued a variety of social activities, traveled exten-sively, and enjoyed their children. George endured a significant loss in 1999 with the unexpected passing of his much-loved daughter Gail. George will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and millions of fans throughout the world. Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, 2002, at Mount Sinai Memorial Park, 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles. Contributions in George's memory may be made to the Simon Wiesenthal Center or the American Heart Association.