Albert and Anna Pate

Albert Pate retired from his rural mail carrier job on December 1, 1942, after 37 years of service on Rural Route 3. He carried mail by horseback, buggy, wagon, bicycle and automobile. There are many stories about his years on the route. He always left a nickel for every new baby born, and he often had carried the mail to parents, children and grandchildren of the same family. My favorite story is about the time his wagon got stuck at a low water crossing. He didn't want to get his clothes wet and muddy so he took them off before he stepped into the water to pull the wagon out.When the wagon was free, the horses took off running with the clothes neatly folded on the seat of the wagon and Albert, in his birthday suit, running after the team.>>>>>Albert had many talents. Early in life he owned and operated a merry-go-round. If any of you knew him you will appreciate this story often told me by my Aunt Grace Comer Craig. My father was a nursing baby. My Grandma Pate (Anna Comer Pate) had a very pretty dress special made for nursing mothers ie two flaps in the chest area ! Aunt Grace borrowed that dress for a date one night. She and her date rode Albert's merry-go-round. I don't know how true the rest of the story is, but it was told that Albert took that merry-go-round as fast as it would go. Aunt Grace was hanging on with both hands to keep from falling off the horse, and the flaps on that dress were flapping up and down. Sounds like something Albert would do.>>>>More of his talents - he called square dances; was an auctioneer at country school box suppers; was a master working with cement and made tombstones for different people; was into Art Deco before the time, with the posts and pots he made for their yard; made a supberb outdoor bar-b-que pit out of petrified wood, long before they were popular; built a quality chimney and fireplace out of petrified wood at their cabin on Sunset Lake; helped make the memorial for Winter Green that is on the Baptist church lawn; and was Santa Claus in the annual Cedar Vale downtown Christmas parade year after year>>>>Albert was the first President of the Cedar Vale Lions Club; was City Clerk for Cedar Vale after his retirement from the post office and was an Agent for Modern Woodman. Many will remember Albert Pate for the naughty cards he liked to send to his friends. Albert NEVER left any of those cards laying around. In fact I don't remember ever seeing any of them. I just heard about them when I was older. Well, I guess I heard the pinochle players laughing about them if I was at their house during a party. The cards would probably be pretty tame in today's world.>>>>Anna Pate will be remembered as the flower lady of Cedar Vale, taking orders for any occasion and getting the flowers from Arkansas City or Sedan. She always knew the kids in school because her business picked up at Jr./Sr. Banquet time. Many might remember her dog collection for she had hundreds of them from all parts of the United States and the world.So many people always brought a dog back for her when they had traveled.>>>Anna and Albert had one child, Ernest, who died in 1938 from actinimycosis. Penacillan cures it now, but there was no cure then. Ernest was an avid golfer and played the course at Sim Park in Wichita. He always chewed on a straw, taken from the the golf course where cattle once grazed. It is believed he picked up the germ from the straws. Ernest gave Anna and Albert two grandchildren, Billy and Patricia and they gave five great grandchildren. I don't know of anyone who enjoyed their grandchildren anymore than did Anna and Albert. They were never too busy, or too tired to play with them, go to the park, go to the goat ropin', the ball game or to the river to swim and/or wash the car or to fish. Anna and Albert believed in making memories. When we are all together (Billy and her children and my children and me) we have such a good time telling Anna and Albert stories and all the good memories.>>>>>Anna and Albert celebrated 50 years of marriage. They had many years of happiness together; had traveled to the then 48 states; loved to play pinochle. Players that come to mind are the Jim Millers, the Orval Burketts, the Melvin Shraders and Bessie and Jimpy Lefler. Albert died July 17, 1955 at the age of 75. Anna died October 15, 1968 at the age of 86. Both are buried in the Cedar Vale Cemetery.