Joe Cates, second mayor of Southaven, dies at 85

Joe Cates, who helped shepherd Southaven along its path to becoming one of Memphis’ largest suburbs, died Monday in the city he led for 12 years as its second mayor.

Cates, who served as mayor from 1985 to 1997, passed away at North Delta Hospice. He was 85.

He was born Jan. 2, 1933, in Nankipoo, a small community in West Tennessee’s Lauderdale County. Cates would go on to become one of the early leaders of the village that started just south of the Tennessee-Mississippi line when Holiday Inn’s founder Kemmons Wilson of Memphis decided to develop a handful of residential starter home subdivisions.

The village ultimately grew into an economically thriving city of about 54,000 today, making it Mississippi’s third-largest city.

Cates’ leadership role in the city began four years after its incorporation in 1980, when he took the reins in 1984 in the first of his three terms as mayor. During his public service career, he was also a justice of the peace, a DeSoto County supervisor and a reserve deputy for the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department.

In addition to his roles in government and law enforcement, Cates served as a past president of the Mississippi Municipal League and was active in civic organizations including the Lion’s Club, Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce.

Current Mayor Darren Musselwhite said in a tweet Monday evening that Southaven “continues to reap the dividends” of Cates’ leadership.

“We are thankful for your leadership and friendship,” Musselwhite wrote. “May God bless and comfort all during this sad time.”