Jimmie Lee Pate

Jimmie Lee Pate of Las Vegas, Nevada peacefully passed away at the age of 80 on Tuesday, October 8, 2019.

Jimmie was born in Barlow, Kentucky to James Thomas Pate and Sarah (Freeman) Pate on June 9, 1939.

Jimmie lived a full and adventurous life all with the flare of a great explorer. As a young man, Jimmie loved his rural life in western Kentucky riding his favorite horse named Pat. He worked the family farm near the river bottoms where the Ohio and Mississippi rivers meet. Although Jimmie left school in the 10th grade he was an outstanding student at the University of Hard Knocks with a B.S in BS.  In his late teens, Jimmie headed west where he found work as an over the road truck driver, abalone diver, silver miner and construction worker. It was in construction that Jimmie made his living, becoming a union member and later a licensed general contractor. Jimmie's construction legacy will live on through the countless commercial and residential structures including shopping malls, casinos, and custom homes.

Throughout his life, Jimmie had many exciting hobbies. He loved motorcycles and competed in flat-track and scramble-track racing, winning trophies as well as a few scars that were great for bragging rights. His favorite 1971 Maico 360 still hangs on the wall in his garage alongside a helmet with tire marks right down the middle. If Jimmie never told you how those got there, you really missed a good story.

Jimmie also loved water-skiing. His natural athleticism enabled him to dazzle friends with his “standing dock starts”, “slalom elbow drags” and “rooster tail beach sprays” . Jimmie taught many buddies his skiing techniques and lingo such as “let's go SKI-king” and “make it happen Capt'n.”.

As a young boy, Jimmie enjoyed hunting for sport as well as adding meat to the dinner table. Jimmie was a member of the NRA and strong supporter of the Second Amendment. Gun safety education was of the utmost importance to Jimmie teaching his daughters, family members and friends proper firearm handling. Shooting “cowboy action style” became the pinnacle of his later years. Jimmie joined the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) national association becoming member #3875 and adopted the alias “Eureka Kid”. In 1999 Jimmie along with four friends founded a Las Vegas (SASS) affiliate club, the Eldorado Mining, and Cattle Company.  Jimmie quickly became a well-loved ambassador for the sport and well known for his ability to figure the fastest ways to shoot a “stage”. He shared his secrets with close friends but he shared his love and laughter with everyone. His greatest joy was teaching new shooters proper cowboy shooting skills. With seasoned competitors, he gave advice like “speed is most important, accuracy will come later”. Everyone knew the more Jimmie liked you the more Jimmie liked to tease you. His lighthearted loving nature made him a friend to all and stranger to none.

Jimmie is preceded in death by his mother and father, brother Jack Pate and son-in-law Richard Kelley.

Jimmie is survived by his wife of 35 years, Coral (Chappelear) Pate, daughter Deborah Lynn (Kent) Wiggins of  Aptos, CA. Daughter Lala Deanne (Sterling) Stoll of Topeka, Kansas. Daughter Cheryl Kelley of Reno, NV and son Doug Mummey of San Jose, CA. Jimmie is also survived by 10 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

Jimmie's life will be celebrated Monday, October 21, 2019, from 5 pm to 8 pm at the City of Las Vegas, Development Services building-5th floor, 333 N. Rancho Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89106.

In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Jimmie's memory is requested. www.stjude.org