John Pate was born on August 28, 1936, in Beaumont, Texas, to Charles and Ethel Pate. He grew up in Port Arthur, Texas, and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1954. He graduated in 1958 with a business degree from Baylor University, where his mother also graduated in 1926 with a degree in mathematics. After graduation, he returned to Port Arthur where he went to work for Gulf Oil, which later became Chevron. He married Bonnie (Rodgers) Pate in 1965, and they were married for 59 years. They have two children, Paul (Charla) and Patti (Jodey), and five grandchildren.
John served many years as a deacon at First Baptist Church, Port Arthur, where he was ordained, Proctor Baptist Church, and First Baptist Church, Nederland, where they are currently members. After his retirement from Chevron in 1992, John spent hundreds of hours volunteering with Meals on Wheels, and was a member of the Port Arthur Sertoma Club. He loved classic cars and spent many happy weekends taking his 1970 Mercury Cougar to car shows with his friends in the ACES Car Club.
John loved his family, and they will miss his gentleness, his thoughtfulness, his many acts of quiet service, and his joyful laugh. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie, son Paul, daughter-in-law Charla, their daughters Susannah and Catherine, daughter Patti, son-in-law Jodey, and their children Harper, Hudson, and Helena. He is also survived by his brother, Charles Pate, niece Sheila Pittman (Patrick, Joshua, Ashley), and nephew Brian Pate (Linda, Athalee, Nathanael).
The family would especially like to thank the members of Bonnie and John’s Sunday school class at First Baptist Nederland, and their many other friends, for their visits, phone calls, meals, and cards. They are also deeply grateful for the health care workers with Compassion Hospice, Naomi, Diana, Elaine, and Natasha, who offered such wonderful care and support during the last year and a half.
A gathering of family and friends will be held Saturday, July 13th from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m., with the Funeral Service to begin at 10:00 a.m., at Melancon Levingston Funeral Home in Nederland. Interment will follow at Oak Bluff Memorial Park in Port Neches.