Henry Pickens Cato II

On August 16, 2022, a shining light, Henry Pickens Cato II of Aiken, SC, departed this earth. His love, generosity, laughter, wit, caring, compassion, and free spirit will be missed beyond measure by all who had the joy of knowing him.

Henry Pickens Cato II was born in Charlotte, NC July 19, 1955, to Wayland Henry Cato Jr. and Margaret Catherine Boutt Cato. Henry attended the University of South Florida in Tampa and later owned and managed a gift shop there.  He returned to Charlotte and managed the Cato family farm, where as a child he enjoyed riding horses with his father and his siblings. After being exposed to polo in Florida, he introduced the “sport of kings” to the Cato family and friends in Charlotte.  Over the years, thousands of spectators attended the charity polo events he organized and held at Cato Farm. He was president of the Charlotte Polo Club and vice president of the Metro Polo Club. He was a long-time member of the U. S. Polo Association.

In Charlotte, Henry met his life-long beloved, Lisa Renee Jones, in 1993 and they married in 2005. They enjoyed their years in Charlotte and Aiken with many cats, dogs, and their favorite horses, Walnut and Dream Girl.

In Aiken, SC Henry established and built C II Polo farm, an 82-acre equestrian facility. Henry was a board member of the Aiken Polo Club and an avid court tennis player at the Aiken Tennis Club.  He also enjoyed success as a real estate investor.

In recent years as his health failed, Henry’s daily trips to his farm provided him a great deal of joy, peace and served as his personal sanctuary.

Henry is predeceased by his much-missed mother, by his sister Margaret Louise Cato, and his precious long-time dog companion, Bonnie Blue Cato.

Henry is survived by his adored father, Wayland Henry Cato Jr. (Marion Rivers Cato) and his beloved Lisa Jones Cato. He is survived by his siblings—Clarice Cato Goodyear, Wayland Henry Cato III (Rhonda Gibson Cato), John Pickens Derham Cato (Jane Greeson Cato), Catherine Evelyn Cato (Gene Ehmann), Thomas Edgar Cato (Marti Washam Cato), Joseph Courtney Cato (Larisa Ivannikova Cato). He is survived by six nephews and one niece—Wayland Henry Cato IV (Jennifer Bogart), Wayland Henry Cato V, David Thomas Cato (Meade Carey), Joseph Alexander Cato (Andrew Alexander), Nicholas Alexander Cato, Eliza Liggett Cato, and Henry’s namesake, five-year-old, Henry Alexander Cato, son of Joe and Larisa.

The Cato family and Lisa wish to express their deep and sincere gratitude to Henry’s caregivers during the last years of his life.

Over the years, the poem by Erich Hardt entitled “Love Now” became Henry’s favorite gift to everyone with whom he connected.

Henry would wish to give this poem to you.  

“Love Now”

“Enjoy today. Tomorrow may not be.

There is no crystal ball wherein you’ll see

the fate that may call either one tonight,

erasing all tomorrows from your sight.

Be sure you love today with all your heart.

You do not know the hour when you must part.

Then greet each morning with a kiss to last,

for evening may look only at the past.

Remember that the kiss before you sleep

may be the final memory you keep.

Be certain love is what you free’st give

each moment you are granted time to live.

So always only loving thoughts commune.

The unknown moment comes to us too soon.”

A private service will be held at Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina. A “Celebration of Henry” is being planned for a future date in Aiken, South Carolina to which Family and friends will be cordially invited to attend.

In lieu of flowers, the Family requests contributions be made to the Great Oak Equine Assisted Program, greatoakeap.org.