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A great man, father, grandfather, husband and friend passed away on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, after a four year decline in his health. Bill was so much to so many; always kind and generous. He was a mentor to so many people in his life.
Bill was born in Thomas, OK to John Forrest Bates an Esther Stine.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, Betty Jo Trail of San Antonio, and Mary Bates-Bergin, the mother of his two sons.
He is survived by his loving wife of 17 years, Mary Lou Bates, and her daughter, Jill Perry and husband Pat, and their son, Matthew; Bill's two sons, Phillip W. Bates and John Roddy Bates, Roddy's wife Angel and their children, Brittany, Braxton, Hattie, Hope, Mia and Reese. He is also survived by the beloved Cowan family, Karen and her children, Randy, Danny, Chris and Amy So.
After high school, Bill enlisted in the Navy and, under the officer's training program, he entered in to college at Oklahoma A & M, where he studied architecture and graduated in 1950. He was proud to be a founding member of the first chapter of Delta Chi Fraternity. After graduation, he went into business with partners, Gene Jones, Ralph Hester, and Bob Riek which was widely known as JHBR. Together, they designed many buildings in Oklahoma and beyond.
Upon retirement from JHBR, Bill decided he was not done with his special skills so he accepted an offer to work with Bruce Bockus and David Payne. Bockus and Payne became his family. They loved having Bill around the office and hated to see him finally decide to retire at age 85.
Bill enjoyed life. He loved to play and watch sports, and especially loved watching his grandson, Braxton, play tennis. He enjoyed traveling all over the world. He loved simple dinners and dancing with friends with the "Young Men's Dance Club." He always smiled, always was the gentleman and never said an unkind word to or about anyone. His furry little friend, Patron, always made him smile.
A big thank you to the staff at The Mansion at Waterford for their professional and loving care, and to Karen Wilkes with Integris Hospice for her commitment to Bill's health. Lastly, a special thank you to Mary Lou for her unwavering love and support and for always being by Bill's side.
Services will be held at Lakeside United Methodist Church, 2925 N.W. 66th St., at 2:00pm, Wednesday, April 1, 2015.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Lakeside United Methodist Church.
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