John "Jack" Edmund Kates

John “Jack” Edmund Kates III passed away peacefully, at 64 years of age, in Seneca, SC on May 7, 2023. He was a beloved father, brother, father in-law, brother in-law, uncle, friend, and man. Jack was born October 14, 1958 in Maryland to John “Jack” Edmund Jr. and Jeanne Stone Kates. Jack graduated from Colonial Christian School in 1976 and enlisted in the Florida Coast Guard, shortly after. He spent over half of his life in South Florida where he enjoyed sailing, horticulture, flying, diving, and fishing. He spent 10 years in Orange County, CA working in the printed circuit board business and enjoying time on the Pacific coast with his family before moving to Seneca, SC in 2004.

Jack received his private pilot’s license in 1994. He was a photographer, jazz tenor saxophonist, history buff, nautical enthusiast, and enjoyed the outdoors. Jack battled and was cured of basal-cell and prostate cancer in the latter years of his life. Jack enjoyed cool West coast and Bossa Nova jazz, old Hollywood movies, Ernest Hemingway’s writings, spending time with his family, and smoking pipes & cigars. He is survived by his daughter, Julia Elizabeth Kates and her husband, Bryan David Nichols; son, John “Jack” Edmund Kates IV and his partner, Erica “Nikki” Nichole Cochran; brother, Jeff Arthur Kates; sister-in law, Monica Kates; niece, Abigail Kates; and nephew, Lance Kates. The family will partake in their own private ceremony of life in the near future under Jack’s wishes. In lieu of flowers, please make a kind donation to the Gulf Coast Preservation Society (gulfpreserve.org/donate) and help to restore, preserve, and protect the rich marine habitat of the Gulf of Mexico; one of Jack’s favorite bodies of water.

“If I can’t play music, what am I gonna do? Music keeps people sane. When you enjoy yourself, most of the time the people who are listening to you enjoy it.”
– Zoot Sims