JoAnn Cates Obituary
With heavy hearts, we announce the death of JoAnn Cates of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, who passed away on February 26, 2026 at the age of 95. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of JoAnn Cates to pay them a last tribute.
As we bid JoAnn farewell, let us not mourn the absence of her physical form, but rather celebrate the essence of her spirit that lingers in the spaces between moments. For JoAnn is not truly gone, but merely transformed, her energy intertwined with the fabric of the universe itself, forever dancing among the stars.
She was predeceased by: her parents, Melvin George and Ella Peterson Sr. (Robinson); her husband John Edwin Cates; and her brother Melvin George Peterson Jr.. She is survived by: her children, Susan Jensen (Larry Sandy), Cindy Cates and Mark Cates (Cindy Smith); and her sister-in-law Ila Cates. She is also survived by six grandchildren; eighteen great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in JoAnn's name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105.
