Funeral services for Mrs. Willie Mae Bates, age 95, of Trufant, Michigan, formerly of Manchester, will be conducted at 10:00 AM on Saturday, June 14, 2014 at Manchester Funeral Home Chapel.
Burial will follow in Rose Hill Memorial Gardens.
Visitation with the family will be from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM on Friday at the funeral home.
Mrs. Bates passed away Monday at her daughter’s home in Trufant, Michigan.
Mrs. Bates was born in Huntsville, AL, the daughter of the late Ollie Patton and Sarah Caroline Boyett. She married Sam Bates in Huntsville, AL and moved to Tennessee until 2002, when she moved to Belleville, MI.
She enjoyed knitting, crocheting, sewing, and gardening and was a member of the Church of Christ in New Boston.
In addition to her parents, Mrs. Bates was also preceded in death by her loving husband, Sam Bates, who passed away in 2003, six brothers and sisters, one grandson and one granddaughter.
She was a loving mother of eight children, Hazel (Billy Frank) Henley, Betty (Joseph) McMahan, Carl (Gloria) Bates, Doris Ciatto, Linda (Larry) Burgess, Sondra (Gerald) Reed, Phillip (Paulette) Bates, and Karen (Mark) Kasprzky; fond grandmother of 24 grandchildren, 33 great grandchildren, and 8 great, great grandchildren. She is also survived by one sister, Margaret Henley.
The family requests memorial donations be made to Spectrum Health Hospice Foundation, 4500 Brenton Road, SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49508.
MANCHESTER FUNERAL HOME IS HONORED TO SERVE THE BATES FAMILY 