Anse Cleburn Cates

Anse C Cates, 81, passed away at home on April 24, 2025. He was born on March 2, 1944, to Jessie (Alexander) and Anse Cates in Miamisburg Ohio. After graduating from Wilbur Wright High School, he moved to Athens Ohio to attend Ohio University where he studied and graduated with a degree in liberal arts. While at Ohio University he met the love of his life, Judy Stephenson, whom he married on August 20, 1966. They lived in Athens for several years where Anse worked as the manager of Logans bookstore and had 2 wonderful sons, Todd and Matthew. They then moved to Ann Arbor Michigan, where he began his career with the Follett Corporation by managing the bookstore on the campus of The University of Michigan. The family eventually moved to the Chicago area where Anse became the Midwest District manager of Follett bookstores. After a brief stop in Saginaw Michigan, the family moved to Tallahassee in 1989 for Anse to run the operations of the FSU bookstore. He soon became the Associate Director of Business Services for FSU, running operations such as parking, food services and other business operations. He retired from FSU in 2010.

Anse enjoyed reading, golfing, and tending to his amazing tomato plants. He loved his church, Celebration Baptist, where he and Judy helped in the children’s ministry. Anse was an avid FSU fan and over the years attended many FSU football games.

He is predeceased by his parents Jessie and Anse, stepfather Louis Combs and stepmother Ella May (Zimmerman) Cates and his brother Henry “Hank” Cates. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Judy, brother Kenny Cates, sisters Patricia “Gail” Click and her husband Mickey, and Dolly Fredericks and her husband Philip. He will be dearly missed by sons Todd and Matthew and their wives Lori and Kim and his grandchildren, Caitlin, Duncan, Mackenzie, Ethan, Adam, Kevin and Emily. He is also survived by many other loving family members and friends.

A memorial service will be held at Celebration Baptist Church in Tallahassee on May 17th at 11:00 am.