Ashland TateTate, 35, was found shot while sitting in a car at an apartment complex in Rock Hill, Mo. at about 10 p.m. Friday. He later died in a St. Louis area hospital. Two men have been arrested for the crime. Police report that the accused knew Tate.
Born in New Orleans in 1984, Ashland Dennis Tate was a member of the Crusader wrestling team at Brother Martin.
"In my opinion, Ashland is easily one of the top five most gifted wrestlers we've ever had," Chuck Stall, Tate's former wrestling teammate at Brother Martin who still works at the all-boys school, told KMOV-TV, the CBS affiliate in St. Louis.
Tate grew up in a Boys Hope group home in New Orleans. He later became Executive Director of Boys Hope Girls Hope, an academic boarding house program, at the organization's national headquarters just outside St. Louis.
"He just wanted to be on a team. I think he just wanted to be a part of something," Stall continued. "He always did whatever needed to be done, his work, his school, his obligations to his friends and team, but he did it with the biggest smile on his face like that was the greatest thing he could be doing that day and that was infectious."
After graduating from Brother Martin, Tate continued his education at University of New Orleans. After Hurricane Katrina struck the city in 2005, Boys Hope Girls Hope helped Tate relocate to St. Louis, where he enrolled at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. He graduated from UMSL with a degree in Media Studies.
In addition to his work at Boys Hope Girls Hope, Tate was a board member for Youth Bridge Community Foundation and UMSL. What's more, he was involved in supporting the wrestling program at Whitfield School in the St. Louis area, where one of his sons is a team member.
Tate is survived by his wife Brenda; their two sons, Rome and Kyi; his mother April; and his sisters, Michelle and Taiche.
Visitation for Ashland Tate will take place Thursday, Aug. 8 starting at 1 p.m. Central, with a funeral service at 3 p.m. at the Archway Memorial Chapel, located at 111 Taylor Rd., Hazelwood, Missouri.
Immediately following the service there will be a Celebration of Life service at the Boys Hope Girls Hope National office at 12120 Bridgeton Square, Bridgeton, Missouri.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now