James Kenneth Cates

James Kenneth Cates “Kenny” passed away on Friday, December 19, 2025, after a long illness in Auburn, Alabama. He was a native of Mobile and a resident of Pine Hill, Alabama.

He was born on January 2, 1944, in Mobile, Alabama, to Ethel Watson and James Matthew Cates. He grew up and went to school in Brewton, Alabama, and Prichard, Alabama. When he entered adulthood, he became a member of the No. 387 Iron Workers Union in Atlanta, Georgia, and No. 1192 Union as a Millwright in Mobile, Alabama. He was an avid outdoorsman and loved all things hunting and fishing. After he retired as an iron worker, he relocated to Pine Hill, Alabama, where he was well known in town for selling produce, bait, and seafood.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Ethel Watson Golden, his father, James Matthew Cates, and his stepfather, Hubert T. Golden.  He is survived by his daughter, Jennifer Ann Cates Duneman of Winder, Georgia, and three grandchildren: Jackson, Brooklyn, and Payton of Winder, Georgia. He is also survived by the mother of his daughter, Sharon Cates of Auburn, Georgia, and two stepsons, Trey Jackson of Auburn, Georgia, and David Jackson of Monroe, Georgia.

A visitation will be held at Valhalla Memorial Gardens in Eight Mile, Alabama, on Monday, December 22, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 pm with a graveside service and burial to follow directly after.