Bernice Lillian (Dishman) COATES

DISHMAN, COATES, MANN, VOS, RAETHER, VANSCHINDEL, WEBER, DAMPIER, BLAZER, WISLEY, GOLDING-JOHNSON, GOLDING, JOHNSON, ROTHSCHILD

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 12/31/2011 at 13:41:22

January 23, 1916 --- December 19, 2011

LAKE MILLS, IA - Bernice Lillian (Dishman) Coates, 95, of Lake Mills, passed away Monday morning, Dec. 19, 2011, at St. Mary's Hospital in Madison. She was born on Jan. 23, 1916, in Parsons, Kan., the daughter of Claude and Ethel (Mann) Dishman. She graduated from Clarion High School in June, 1934.

Bernice married Archie George Coates on Dec. 7, 1935, in Clarion, Iowa. He died on Oct. 2, 2002, in Lake Mills. Bernice and Archie settled in Oak Hill where they kept a dairy farm for three decades. While there they were active in the Pleasant Valley Methodist Church and Pleasant Valley School. After retirement they lived on Lake Helen in Rosholt, in Jefferson, and in Plainfield before moving to Lake Mills. For many years they spent the winter months in Sunrise Beach, Texas.

Bernice is survived by one son, Robert Coates (Betty Vos) of Mason City, Iowa; daughter-in-law, Marian Coates of Lake Mills; eight grandchildren, Debbie Raether (Rod VanSchindel) of Keil, Becky (Dusty) Weber of Lake Mills, Jim (Peggy) Coates of Lawton, Okla., Jody Dampier (Jeff Blazer) of Plainfield, Amy (Christopher) Wisley of Lake Mills, Joel Coates (Candie Golding-Johnson) of Sandy, Utah, Jeremy Coates of Fort Atkinson and Justin Coates (Andrew Rothschild) of New York, N.Y.; and 18 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; her seven siblings; her son, Gary Coates; grandson, Jeff Coates; and great-grandson, Wyatt Wisley.

A funeral service for Bernice will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at Mealy's Funeral Home in Palmyra, with the Rev. William McBride officiating. Burial will follow at Pleasant Valley Cemetery. Visitation will be at the funeral home from 10 a.m. on Wednesday until the time of service.

December 20, 2011
Daily Jefferson County Union -- Fort Atkinson, WI