Landen Cates

(From Ozark Funeral Home)

Landen Russell Cates, known affectionately as Landen to all, left us on December 3, 2024, at the tender age of 15. Landen was born on June 13, 2009, in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, to proud parents Cory and Rachael (White) Smith of Noel, Missouri. His journey on this earth, though brief, was marked by an unwavering spirit of joy and a heart brimming with love.

Landen's life was a testament to the beauty of simplicity and the joy of the great outdoors. Landen was not one to sit idle; he thrived when he was in the midst of nature, be it hunting, fishing, riding dirt bikes, playing baseball, or simply exploring the wonders around him. He was a 10th grade student at the McDonald County High School in Anderson, Missouri.

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He inherited his love for the outdoors from a family that cherished and nurtured his interests. Landen's adventures were often shared with his beloved brother, Layne Patton, and under the watchful eyes of his grandparents, Carol and Allen White of Noel, MO, and Jani and Ken Smith of Pea Ridge, AR. His aunts and uncles, Valery and Shawn Dees, Kasey and Colby Schooley, Kathy and David Hodges, Lyle White, and Machelle Evans, alongside a host of cousins and friends, were his companions in countless cherished memories. Landen was preceded in death by his family and friend, Blake Patton; great-grandparents, Francis White, BJ White and Sharron Hay.

As we say goodbye to Landen Russell Cates, we do so with heavy hearts. His spirit, like the rivers he loved to fish and the trails he loved to ride, will flow and wind through our memories, ever-present and ever-inspiring. A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered.