Martha Roberta (Dudley) Cates, age 95 went to be with her Lord and Savior on January 1. She was born in Winchester, Franklin County, Tennessee, to Amos Duncan and (Verna) Vernie (Dudley) Duncan on April 5, 1925. All of her family precedes her: brothers Eugene Duncan and James Duncan, sisters Ethel Walworth and Lucile Webster. She had four children: Coy Cates III, Creta Aud, Linda Trokey and Carol Green. Creta and Carol preceded her in death. She has 15 grandchildren and 38 great grandchildren. Roberta grew up in Duncanville and attended school in Capital Hill. Later she moved to Tullahoma where she and Coy Cates II met and later married. They moved to Adrian, Michigan, where their son was born. She returned to live with Coy’s folks while he served in the Army in Alabama until after WWII. They had one daughter in Alabama and returned to Michigan where they had two more daughters. After many years in Michigan, they moved to California. However, they always kept their ties to family and friends in Tullahoma. In 1976 they returned to Tullahoma where they resided another 28 years. She attended Westside Church of Christ. Roberta was a member of Church of Christ all her life. Roberta was a great mother who raised her children to be God fearing; they attended church every Sunday, sometimes taking a car full of kids from the neighborhood. We have no doubt she is with loved ones in Heaven right now. Visitation will be held on Satuday, January 16th, 2021 at Kilgore Funeral Home from 10:00-11:00am with the funeral to immediately follow at 11:00am. Burial will follow at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens. Kilgore Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
