David Blakeney Pate, 70, of Florence, passed away on Thursday, October 25, 2018. Mr. Pate was born in Charleston, SC on August 14, 1948 to the late Dorothy Carpenter Pate Jones and Lewis Calvin Pate.David graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1970 and joined the National Guard shortly after.He was an avid Gamecock fan, through thick and thin.He worked as Floor Manager at JC Penney and then opened the Chick-Fil-A at Magnolia Mall in 1979.He has been a loyal and active member and served on the church council of St. Luke Lutheran Church since 1981, where he met his beautiful wife, Cathy. He retired after 38 years as a Chick-Fil-A owner/operator.He was an active member of the Florence community, a member of the FSD1 school board, Boy Scouts leader (awarded the Silver Beaver), Florence Rotarian, Florence Little Theatre Board, and was an avid supporter of the Florence Museum.He was honored as Small Business Person of the Year in 2014.David never knew a stranger.He will always be remembered as a generous, fun-loving, and adventurous soul.He loved to read, watch movies, travel, hunt, fish, and most of all, spend time with family. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Allen Pate. He is survived by the love of his life, Cathy, of 26 years; children, Michelle Pate of Charleston, Brian Ross of Asheville, Amy Whicker of Florida, Mary (Kevin) Wheeler of Columbia, Clifford (Lauren) Pate of Greenville, and Blake (Annie) Pate of Florence; beloved grandchildren, Morgan and Meredith Wheeler, and his two cats, Max and Lamonte. Memorials may be made to St. Luke Lutheran Church, 1201 Cherokee Road, Florence, SC29501 or to a charity of one’s choice. The family will receive friends from 10:30 am – 12:00 noon Saturday, October 27, 2018 at St. Luke Lutheran Church with the service to be held at 12:30 pm in the church sanctuary.Inurnment will be private. Please send messages to the family at the obit section of www.stoudenmiredowling.com.