Marion Harlan Cates Jr.

Marion H. Cates, Jr. (“Skip”) died a few days after his 77th birthday. He went to his heavenly home at sunrise on Sunday, June 28th, 2026, after suffering complications from dementia. He was born on June 23, 1949 to Reverend Marion Harlan Cates, Sr. and Billie Ann (Odom) Cates at Baptist Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. His poor eyesight prohibited him from military service, but Skip served his country and community in many ways. One of his passions was the Boys Scouts of America. In 1962, at just 12 years old, he was the youngest boy in the state of Alabama to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. He went on to serve in leadership positions for over 50 years in the BSA, investing in young men by teaching and equipping them with life skills. Skip was very proud that all three of his sons and one of his grandsons attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He cherished the special times he had with them rafting, canoeing, camping, and hiking, but he especially treasured the high adventure trips to Scout Camp in Philmont, New Mexico, that he made with each of his sons and two oldest grandsons. A chemist by degree, Skip was also an engineer and inventor and held numerous U.S. patents on instrumentation he designed while working for various companies like Honeywell, Southern Research, SAIC, Techmon Research, Dayjon and Square Line. The bulk of his career centered on chemical weapons disposal. He designed the instrumentation the government uses to detect chemical weapons on the battlefield. He oversaw the safety end of moving stockpiles of chemical weapons out of Europe (in compliance with a treaty with the United Nations) onto a railway in Germany to transport via the Black Sea to Johnston Atoll (a joint U.S. military operation in the South Pacific). For 10 years he managed the laboratory at Johnston Atoll that analyzed and detected leaks while storing and destroying those weapons. He also worked at Anniston Army Depot for 8 years doing the same type of work until he started his own research and development company. Skip was a godly man who quietly walked out his faith daily and ministered to others by fixing and upgrading computer systems, servicing their cars, and repairing broken appliances and gadgets. After he was no longer able to do technical work, he volunteered at Serving You Ministries helping to deliver groceries and stock shelves until his health would no longer allow him to do so. He had a servant’s heart and loved helping others. Skip will be remembered as a unique and gifted man, but most of all, he will be remembered as a faithful and loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Skip was preceded in death by his parents, Marion Harlan Cates, Sr. and Billie Cates, his stillborn brother, James Alton Cates, and his brother, Richard Randall Cates. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Theresa (Moore) Cates and his four children and their spouses; Marion Harlan Cates, III (Trey) and Robyn (Blakeney) Cates, Carrie (Cates) Jones and Nathan Ben Jones, Richard William Cates and Adell (Gallagher) Cates, Jonathan Christopher Cates and Heather (Hutto) Cates. In addition, he is survived by seventeen grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, his sister Catherine Gaston and his brother, Brian Cates. The funeral service will be held at Northpark Baptist Church in Trussville, Alabama on Thursday, July 9th. Visitation will be 10:00 AM-11:00 AM. Service will be 11:00 AM-12 noon and a short graveside service will be held immediately afterward at Forest Hill Cemetery, 431 60th St N, Birmingham, AL 35212` . The Cates family would like to extend their gratitude to AVEANNA HOSPICE for their compassionate care during Skip’s final days. It was a tremendous help to us. In lieu of flowers, the family request donations to be made to: Serving You Ministries, PO Box 1110, Trussville, AL 35173 (www.servingyou.org)

Marion Harlan Cates Jr.

June 23, 1949 - June 28, 2026