City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Mary Teresa (Williams) Tate
Knightdale, North Carolina
Age 79.
Died 09/29/2025.
Mary Teresa (Williams) Tate, AKA Terry Tate beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend, passed away peacefully on September 29th, 2025, at 9:30 pm, leaving behind a legacy of love, kindness, and devotion to her family and community.
Early Life and Family
Born on March 15th, 1946, to the late Mr. Edward Hill Williams, Sr and the late Mrs. Mary Catherine (Chatham) Williams, Terry Tate grew up in a close-knit family where she developed her lifelong values of compassion and generosity. Terry was born the third child of seven. Edward Hill Williams, Jr and John Chatham Williams proceeded her in death. Her living siblings, in order of birth, are Ms. Martha (Williams) Lanham, married to Robert Lanham; Mrs. Patricia (Williams) Egger, married to Mr. Michael Egger; Mr. Stephen Williams, married to Mrs. Cynthia (Notch) Williams; and Mr. Lawrence Williams.
Terry married Mr. E. Ray Tate in 1965, who fathered Mary Catherine (Tate) Neill, Sylvia Jean (Tate) Pulliam, and Jennifer Lynn (Tate) Small. She parted ways with Mr. Tate in 1985.
Her final husband was Tony Byrd. He passed away in 2004. They shared 15 years with their blended family and grandchildren. They enjoyed boating and landscaping the yard for family gatherings. They spent a good amount of time on Falls Lake and Rollingview Marina.
Her Life and Legacy
Terry was an entrepreneur. About 1983, she owned and operated an Italian buffet style restaurant. In 1985, she opened a consignment shop for maternity clothing and baby nursery bedding. Her final adventure was a Hair Salon that she operated out of her home in Cedar Hills in Raleigh NC. She had many long-term clients that became her friends. In North Raleigh, numerous customers frequently acknowledged her presence. As her clientele aged, she went mobile and provided cosmetic services to their homes. She also provided funeral home cosmetic services to prepare her customers for their final farewells. The families were so appreciative because she knew how they looked in life, so it was very comforting. Terry never met a stranger and always remembered a face.
One of Terry’s greatest joys was organizing family gatherings. She brought people together with her gentle spirit and infectious smile. She was known for her cooking and always ensured everyone left her table satisfied.
A devoted mother, Terry raised her children with love and guidance, teaching them to be kind, resilient, and true to themselves.
As a grandmother, she delighted in sharing stories, baking treats, and attending every family gathering for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas, birthdays, and cook-outs.
Remembering Terry
Terry was preceded in death by her husband Tony Byrd (2004), her parents Mr. Ed Williams, SR (2008) and Mrs. Mary Catherine Wiliams (2011), her grandson Willie Gupton (2013), her oldest daughter Mary Catherine (Tate) Neill (2016); Along with other loved ones who now welcome her home.
Terry is survived by her children, Sylvia Pulliam and Jennifer Small, grandchildren, Amanda Pulliam and Braeden Small, and her great grandchildren, Cassie Pulliam and Ezekiel Buckler and a host of siblings, nieces and nephews, and friends who will miss her dearly.
The family has planned a celebration of Terry’s life at her last place of residence, The Lawson of Knightdale. As requested by Terry, this event will celebrate her life with family.
Donations may be made to honor Terry at Home - Cause for Paws, https://cfp-nc.org/ Dog and Cat rescue and her favorite thrift store, continuing her legacy of giving and kindness.
Mary Teresa (Williams) Tate, AKA Terry Tate will be remembered for her unwavering love, selfless spirit, and the countless lives she touched. Her memory will forever remain in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.