Battalion Chief – Battalion 1 – Fire Station 9
Deceased:
September 4, 2022
Appointed:
02/01/1955
Pensioned:
06/18/1990 – Batt1 FS9
Details about the memorial service
Additional Information:
Chief Cate served in the US Navy from 1947 to 1950′
Donations:
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, PLEASE SEND DONATIONS TO:
Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firefighter’s Fund
PO BOX 41903
Los Angeles, CA 90041
An incredible man. Great firefighter, athlete and gentleman. RIP Don
I worked for Don when he was the TFC at old 3s.
He was a fantastic leader and Fire officer, always the right answers.
He will be missed. RIP
Another one of the greats gone. Don was respected and loved by all who worked or played with him. He will be missed by many. My prayers to his family and loved ones.
Mike Reagan
LAFD Retired
RIP CHIEF,,,WAS GREAT WORKING WITH YA IN BATT. 5 IN THE EARLY 70’S…..THE GOOD OLD DAYS LARRY FORD, CLASS OF 1/6/73
Great man to know and work for. Prayers for him and his family,
Just a great guy. Always a pleasure to see Chief Cate was working. Prayers for peace and comfort to his family.
One of the Greats of the LAFD! A Very well-respected Officer, great leader and pretty damn good Handball player!! The Chief and I won the Skid Row handball tournament twice- he carried me… RIP SIR…
There are people that effect both your professional life and your personal life. Don Cate was one of those persons. We worked together in Battalion One. He was a great Battalion Chief. We’ll respected by all of his peers. Always a great smile and firm handshake from Don. He loved to talk about his grandsons playing football. But he really loved talking about his daughter Donna. He was so proud of her. R.I.P. Don. I will miss you.
Oh Sonny, this means oh so very much to me! Thank you! I am truly the luckiest person ever to have had him for my dad. I have always shared, and will continue to, that he is such a special person! Anyone who ever spend time with him knows that. Reading so many sweet comments here is just one indication of the kind of man he was as a fireman, friend, mentor, and family man. My three sons, who he often bragged about (sorry), worshiped him.! He also considered the LAFD family. Dad loved not only the people who he worked with, he loved everything about it and never considered it a job. I want you to know that he spoke very highly of you too. Going through this is so hard and I know you all miss him as much as we do.
a great person on and off the job will be missed R,I,P my brother
great man on and off the job will be missed rest in peace my brother
Don was a great friend as well as one of the finest officers on the LAFD. He was a mentor to so many and an example for all to follow. Always positive and approachable he would give a straight answer and guidance when asked for..
So many great trips to the river with Don and his family – wonderful memories.
RIP my friend.
Thanks Gary, I haven’t seen you since I was a very small kid. Thanks for the fun river trips. I followed grandpa Dons footsteps into the fire service. He was a great man.
Don was a great firefighter, officer and person. Always a pleasure to work with. RIP Don.
If all of the Captains and Chiefs in the Department had served under Don Cate’s leadership . . . how great would that have been?
Pumper Paul Fulton said it so clearly in just a few words when he wrote “He was a fantastic leader and Fire officer, always the right answers.”
Those few words are absolutely accurate and describe Don perfectly. But those words conjure up memories of how Don’s answers flowed from his amiable and mature personality. Those answers seemed always to come so easily to his lips. I believe that was because, to his core, Don was completely honest, transparent, and honorable. Those were his values. They were always on display to be seen, emulated, and adopted by those led if they chose and were able.
He set the bar very high without trying. I personally admired and respected him. I personally wanted to be like him. I tried, but I was not cut from the same cloth.
He was comfortable as he melded his role of supervisor, leader, and friend. He earned such high respect that we who worked with him earnestly desired his approval. There were times when he could have used harsh words to correct my actions. He never ever chose that route. He always took the “high road” and chose the right answer to let me learn about boundaries without humiliation. His nuanced leadership left me with an understanding that he was able to correct me while at the same time allowing me to feel his approval.
I had the high honor of working alongside Don both as an Engineer at old 3’s and as a rookie Captain at 11’s with the late Don Morgan. His byline was “work hard and play hard.” As TFC at 3’s, he engaged in all of the office duties as the responsible but senior officer. His signature is in my Personal Record Book certifying me on four apparatus, including a 1973 Pinto. He could have easily delegated that simple task to one of the two engine Captains.
Working alongside him at TF 11, I observed him do it all. As we three completed the reports that he could have delegated, he smiled and said, “No job is done until this paperwork is complete.”
If you knew Don Cate, you also admired and respected him and you will undoubtedly grieve with me at his passing. But we also can rest assured that his job was done and done well.
He will always be a part of who I wish I were.
Dick Dreher says
September 7 2022
We worked together in Battalion Two and Eleven . He was a Great Battalion Chief and Leader. Always felt
Safe when he was the the Incident Commander. Prayers to Your Family. R.I.P Don
I was so sad to learn of your passing. That great smile was the trademark of a great man and will be missed by many of us. I always enjoyed talking with you about the oldtimers ballsball games you played when you volunteer to help out at the San Pedro Fire Museum. You made the mold for how a battalion chief should perform his/her duties. RIP my friend for your work is done.
Duane Warth, LAFD, ret.
sadly time marches on and we lose another of our finest, I also worked for him at old 3’s, easy going and competent, trusted his crew and made coming to work enjoyable, a great officer with no ego, RIP Don, a job well done, we will all miss you
One of the finest and most respected men I have ever known, I loved him like a brother. I was blessed to meet Don early in my career at 22’s in 1968. We immediately hit it off as friends and remained close friends for the last 54 years. I worked again for him in the 70’s at old 27’s and later at 49’s when he was a BC. It was always a pleasure to work with him, he was incredibly good at doing his job, maintaining discipline yet keeping it fun. He was a great athlete, played everything well from beach volleyball, to handball and later Senior softball. He was very proud to be a member of the LAFD and he instilled that pride in his men. More importantly he was a family man. He loved his family and taught by example how to be a good husband and father. I’ll never forget our family water ski trips to the River and our Las Vegas trips, everyday was pure fun. I will always remember the twinkle in those blue eyes and his genuine smile, he loved people. I will miss Don terribly as many will, but I’m thankful for all the great memories with him. He truly was one of the greats. I look forward to seeing him again in Heaven.
I had the privilege to work around Chief Cate as a rookie at 9s. A true gentleman and mentor to all. I wish more Officers exhibited his traits, personality and ability
Chief Cate was one of the greatest Chiefs on the LAFD, Great fireman and an awesome human, RIP you will be missed by all. Mouse
RIP Chief, you were one of the great ones not only as a fireman but also an awesome human, you will be missed by all. RIP MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. Mouse
I really appreciated being around and working for Chief Cate. He was always up-beat and spot on with his opinions and advice. Super calm under pressure. He backed me on several occasions and helped me in my career. We played together a couple of times at the Skid Row. I will miss his friendship. God speed and rest in peace.
Chief Cate was the Drillmaster for the class of 2-16-75, of which I was a member.. You never forget your drill tower instructors. What a great role model to guide us coming into the LAFD. As I got to know him on the job in later years I realized what a great fire officer and gentleman he was. The LAFD has lost a great one!
My late husband, Michael T Hilliger loved and respected Don Cate. He enjoyed learning a great deal from this man who lead with integrity. I recognized several of the men who made comments. Im certain Michael would have agreed with them all
I had the honor and privilege of working for Chief Cate in the mid 80’s at Fire Station 9 when I was a rookie. He was a true leader and a great man. I will always remember his size-up as we were responding to the First Interstate fire and all the conversations that followed after that night. He was a wealth of information and knowledge backed up by experience. There couldn’t have been a better chief working that night. My condolences to his family and friends..
Chief Cate was my TFC @ FS 11 during my second house as a rookie in 1977. My biggest wish was to be able to stay at FS11 and not move on to the third assignment…all because of Don Cate. what a great Officer and Better Human Being….Rest in Peace Chief…
There are people in your career and life you respect, enjoy and learn from. Chief Cate was an officer, a leader and man that fit that bill. I also had the good fortune to work for TFC Cate at old 3’s and we had a great crew. As mentioned above Don’s saying of, “work hard and play hard” made life at ol’ 3’s the best. The social events with families off duty showed how much Don loved and enjoyed his family
My condolences to the Cate family. Don will be truly missed by many of us.