Deborah Amaker Cates

The memorial service for Deborah Amaker Cates, 74, formerly of Columbia, will be held on Friday, October 17, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in the chapel of McAlister-Smith Funeral Home, 200 State Street, West Columbia, SC 29169. The Reverend Dr. Mark Bredholt will officiate. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 1:00 p.m. until the hour of service.

Debbie was born on July 28, 1951, in Columbia, and departed this earthly life on Thursday, October 9, 2025, in Charleston. She was the daughter of the late William Bruno Amaker and Doris Marie Rhoden Amaker.

Debbie was a proud graduate of the Dentsville High School Class of 1969, and later earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of South Carolina. She began her teaching career at Swansea Elementary School, where she taught for a couple of years before continuing her calling at Bethel-Hanberry Elementary School in Richland School District Two. There, she taught fourth and fifth grade for over three decades. She dedicated her life to public education, serving as a beloved teacher for 34 years. Debbie had a special gift for connecting with her students and affectionately referred to each one as one of her “kids.”

Beyond the classroom, Debbie’s life was defined by kindness, faith, and love for her family. She cherished time spent with her children and grandchildren, cheering on the Gamecocks, and sharing laughter with lifelong friends. Her warmth, humor, and compassion touched everyone who knew her.

Survivors include her daughter, Amy Marie Cates, and fiancé Alexander Snyder, her son and daughter-in-law, Ronald N. Cates, Jr., and Nicki Cates and her grandchildren Emmy Cates, Nelson Cates, Lilly Cates and Poppy Cates, all from Charleston.

Those who preceded her in death include William Ray Amaker (Brother).

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial gifts in Debbie’s memory be made to LEWY BODY DEMENTIA ASSOCIATION