Wayne Cates (TSTI Amarillo) passes

[Ruark]

I haven't posted here in a while.  My saddlemaking days are pretty far behind me. 

Anyway, I think there might be one or two people on here who went to TSTI Saddle and Tack Making school in Amarillo (closed now), when the instructor was Wayne Cates.  His wife, Jean, taught leather tooling.  When I was there, the assistant instructor was Larry Chandler. This is around 78-80.  

Just letting you know that Wayne passed away last Saturday, the 28th.  He was 84.  He died from covid.  I know not many people die from covid these days, but Wayne had emphysema from his many years of smoking, and his lungs were just about gone to begin with.  

Jean passed several years ago.  Wayne and Jean are buried together in Channing Cemetery, Channing, Texas, where Jean grew up.

As I understand it, Larry Chandler died from leukemia back in the early or middle 80s.  I never found any information about him, or where he was buried, as much as I would like to know.

Wayne was a good guy, a hard core, old school Texas Panhandle cowboy.  A nice obituary is at:

https://www.carmichael-whatley.com/obituaries/wayne-cates

Edited November 3, 2023 by Ruark

[bruce johnson]

Several good saddle makers went through there. 

[gtwister09]

I  know Troy West and Jeremiah Watt went through there.