With courage and grace, Rupert Eldridge Pate, Jr. took the next step on his spiritual journey by welcoming death like an old friend on the afternoon of March 2, 2024. Rupert lived as a gentle and beautiful soul. He understood that we are all truly connected, and that our relationships with all things are sacred, even with beings that might appear to be our enemies. He also loved music and appreciated it as a universal language, and his deep sense of humility and curiosity meant that he never stopped learning or growing. When asked about his favorite kind of music, he would often echo the words of Louis Armstrong, declaring that there were only two kinds: good and bad.
Rupert was born in Augusta, Georgia, on October 2, 1936, to Dorothy “Dot” (née Young) Pate and Rupert E. Pate, Sr. He graduated college from The Citadel, joined the Army, served two tours in the Vietnam War (as well as two years in South Korea), and taught at the Command General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth before working at Benedictine College, where he was a beloved history professor. He also made his acting debut on the silver screen when he appeared in the 2004 independent film CSA: The Confederate States of America (directed by film professor Kevin Willmott of the University of Kansas). After retiring, he enjoyed volunteering to lead a spiritual study group at the Lansing Correctional Facility as well as meeting with his Lawrence-based veteran friends who had likewise served during the Vietnam War.
He was predeceased by his parents, brother Hugh, and nephew Michael. He is survived by his wife, Deb, sister Bernie, brother from our mother Earth Orv, cousins Evelyn, Jim, Lori, and Ken, son Colin, children Rachel, Julia, and Jude and their mother Suzanne, grandchildren Joe, Will, and Evan, niece Elizabeth, and nephews Jared “Rip”, Robert, and John.
The family will host a celebration of life in memory of Rupert at the Cider Gallery in Lawrence Kansas on September 29, 2024.