George Wilson Tate ’43

George Wilson Tate ’43, of Charlotte, N.C., died March 21, 2009, at his residence. A native Charlottean, he was born May 9, 1921, son of the late John Austin Tate and Sarah Wilson Tate. He was one of four children, and is survived by his younger sister, Sarah Lindsay Tate. His older siblings, Betsy Tate Freeman and John Austin Tate, Jr., preceded him in death. In his early teens, Tate left Charlotte for Culver Military Academy in northern Indiana. He returned to North Carolina to attend Davidson. His education was interrupted by WWII, when he chose to enlist in the U.S. Army. As he made this decision, he also made one of the most important decisions of his life: to marry his childhood sweetheart. On Sept. 9, 1943, he married Elizabeth Robinson Hoppe, 5100 Sharon Rd., Unit 1204, Charlotte, NC 28210-4766. He and Libby would spend 65 wonderful years together. Tate shipped out in 1944 to join his comrades-in-arms in the European Theatre. Soon after arriving in Italy, he was captured by the Germans and remained a prisoner of war until liberated at war’s end. He and Libby were blessed with three children, George “Pudge” Wilson Tate, Jr. (Jane), William “Billy” Hoppe Tate, and Elizabeth “Libby” Tate Higgins, and, subsequently, four grandchildren, Mary Austin Tate Bolin (Rob), Jane Wilson Snyder (William), John “Tate” Higgins, and David William Higgins, and one great-grandchild, Will Bolin. Tate loved his family, and he loved life. He started his career at Hoppe Motors, an early Chrysler franchise for the Charlotte area. Later he worked with Freeman and McClintock in the real estate business. In addition to his family, he loved his church. He and Libby joined St. Martin’s Episcopal after marrying, where he would be the Sunday school superintendent and a member of the vestry.