Bessie Bates

BATES, FITZSIMMONS, BLANCHARD, BAYNE, WILSON, RINGER, DOTSON

Posted By: Judy Kelley (volunteer) (email)
Date: 3/20/2009 at 12:58:30

The Wapello Republican, Oct. 10, 1991

Bessie Bates, age 86 of Wapello, Iowa, died Thursday morning October 3, 1991 at Muscatine General Hospital, Muscatine, Iowa. She was born March 20, 1905 in Louisa County near Wapello, the daughter of Charles Calvin and Olive Fitzsimmons Blanchard. She married Charles William Bates on June 20, 1929 at Des Moines. He died May 31, 1961. She was a graduate of Wapello High School, had attended Drake University, and received her B.A. degree from Iowa Weslyan College at Mt. Pleasant. She taught schools for 5 years in the rural Louisa County area and then 32 years in the Wapello Community School, serving as the Elementary Principal and Elementary teacher.

Her memberships included the First Prsbyterian Church and its Delta Alpha Guild and the UP Women, a fifty year member of the Order of Eastern Star Chapter #257 and the Worthy Matrons club, the National T.T.T. Society, the Delta Kappa Gamma Society of America, the National Education Association, the Iowa State Education Association, the Louisa County Chapter and National Retired Teachers Associations, the Wapello Study Club, and the Louisa County Historical Society.

Survivors include one daughter, Betty Jean (Mrs. James) Bayne of Fairfax, one son, Charles Robert Bates of Washington; three grandchildren; two sisters, Nellie Wilson of Moring Sun and Dorothy Ringer of Sherman, Illinois; and three brothers, Marion Blanchard of Forsythe, Missouri, Robert Blanchard of Burlington, and Richard Blanchard of Iowa City. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; three sisters, Edith Blanchard, Mary Dotson and Mabel Blanchard; one brother, Edwin Blanchard; and one grandson, Robert William Bayne.

Funeral Service for Bessie Bates was held at the first Presbyterian Church at Wapello at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday October 6, 1991 with Rev. Bill Young officiating. Betty McChesney provided the organ music. Honorary bearers were A.T. Wollenhaupt, E.A. Hicklin, and Warren Wilson. Casket Bearers included Maurice Lewis, Orval Schmieser, Maurice Schmeiser, Kenney McChesney, Gene Islett, and Delbert Dotson. Flower Attendants were Jo Ann Wehmeyer and Linda Dotson. Burial followed at the Wapello Cemetery. An Order of Eastern Star service was held Saturday evening at Dudgeon-McCulley Funeral Home with a family visitation following. A Memorial Fund to establish a student scholarship fund at the Wapello High School has been established.