Connie Donette McLain Cates
July 9, 2007

Connie Donette McLain Cates, 50, of Wichita Falls, went home to be with her Lord on Sunday, July 8, 2007, after an extended battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).

The funeral service will take place Tuesday, July 10, 2007, at 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Grandfield, Okla., with Pastor Tim Owens officiating. The interment will be in the Memorial Cemetery in Grandfield, Okla., under the direction of Gray Funeral Home of Grandfield.

A visitation will be held from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Monday evening, July 9, 2007, at the Gray Funeral Home of Grandfield, Okla.

Connie willingly and lovingly devoted more than 20 years of her life as an early childhood specialist in the Texas public school system in Vernon, Wichita Falls, Round Rock, and Burkburnett, among others. She was the first of two children born to Don and Virgie McLain, and she grew up in Grandfield surrounded by family and rowdy friends. In 1974, Connie graduated from Grandfield High School as valedictorian and later graduated cum laude from Midwestern State University, demonstrating the natural intelligence that her son desperately hopes is genetic. In 1975, that son, Zackary McLain, was born, and Connie spent the rest of her life raising, supporting and loving him.

Survivors include her son and her parents, along with her brother, Randy McLain and wife Debi; nieces, Donette Coker and husband Ben, and Ade McLain; nephew, Jordan McLain and wife Heather; grandnephews, Zeke and Eli Coker; and grandniece Selbie Gonzalez. But that's only a partial list. The number of family and friends who loved Connie and were loved back is too great to print here.

The family would also like to thank Hospice of Wichita Falls for their kind and generous help over the past several months. The staff there provides a service that cannot be measured.

The family asks that memorial contributions be made to Hospice of Wichita Falls, 4909 Johnson Rd., Wichita Falls, Texas, 76310.

An online guest book and sympathy cards are available at www.grayfuneral.com.