Thoughts and prayers to Danny and his family at this time. Sorry for your loss. Tom and Rose Rowlison.

Bettylou and family, we are thinking of you and hope your happy memories will comfort you.
Richard and Margaret

I am saddened at the loss of Dennis Bates. He and his family were good neighbors to my family when we lived on King Settlement Road. 
He and his wife were kind and generous to my Dad in his later years by taking him to vote and to the senior citizen's dinner at the high school. 
I send my condolences to the entire family. I am thinking that he and my Dad are discussing John Deere tractors in heaven! 

Sincerely, 
Valerie Winter



Dennis Bates was close to his Aunt Olive Frink Shaver who was more like an older sister since she moved in with the Bates after her folks died in 1933.   Ida Bates was Olive's older sister.  Dennis and Olive always seemed to be laughing and teasing each other every time they were together.  

Know that Uncle Dennis is keeping the laughing going.

At the end of Ida and Clayton Bates's family gatherings, Ida would bring out her camera and capture the images of her children's families before letting them leave the farm.   We'd all wait patiently as she cajoled everyone into giving her a smile and then a hug with a kiss good bye.  Now Uncle Denny's daughter Cousin Judy has taken over many of her Grandmother Ida's traditions.


Dennis Bates worked hard on his family farm and as a nine year old went out in the dark pre-dawn hours, on a daily basis, to get the cows into the barn in preparation for the morning milking.  That must have been scary at times to be alone in the dark wandering the dark spooky pastures to locate the cows and then drive them to the barn, but he did it.   These early experiences molded him into the hard-working farm-loving family man that he became.

Little Dennis Bates with his father Clayton with the family farm work horses Jack and Jill.  All the heavy farm work was done on the Bates's farm with the horses until after World War Two.  This included plowing the fields, cutting the hay, drawing the hay wagons back and forth and etc.  Clayton would sometimes hitch up the horses to pick up his children after school when the weather was bad and use them to deliver milk from his dairy herd to the processing plant too.

When Dennis Bates was away in the US Army, his parents Ida and Clayton Bates along with his Grandmother Edith Bates sent this photo of them posing with a message on the family chalkboard to him.  This chalkboard was a favorite item of Dennis's.

Dennis Bates playing with his siblings with the toy wagon in the driveway area of Clayton and Ida Bates Farm in South Plymouth. 

On February 4, 1961 Dennis Edward Bates married his lifelong love Bettylou Furman in the middle of a massive snow storm.  Unfortunately almost no one was able to attend the ceremony except for the few within walking distance of Oxford, New York.  However this was a marriage meant to be and it endured for over sixty years.  

The Bates Farm Ice House, in the pre-electricity days, was crucial to a dairy farm in keeping the farm's milk cold prior to being delivered to the milk processing plant.   Every year after the ice froze on the farm's big pond, Dennis's father Clayton Bates would harvest huge blocks of ice, haul the the ice blocks to the Ice House, and cover them with a thick layer of sawdust.  The blocks would shrink over the summer, but the unused blocks would keep until the next winter.  Dennis's mother Ida would make ice cream in the summer using part of an stored ice block and keep the ice cream in the Ice House.  Dennis and his brothers used to sneak in and sample their mother's ice cream.  It had to be so delicious in the hot summers and knowing Grandma Ida she made plenty for her family to enjoy.  Electricity was finally brought to the Bates Farm in 1945 and this Ice House was quickly dismantled.

The German Hollow area of Plymouth, NY got lots of snow in the winter and Dennis Bates would have to manage the long walk home from the bus stop in his high school years.  The walk home was almost 2 miles and uphill from the bus stop on the main road Route 12.  It was easier going  to the bus stop in the morning since it was down hill and sometimes he skied to the bus stop.  But then again it was harder hiking home with skis in tow along with his school gear.  This was in the late 1940's.

Dennis Bates was a loving father to his son Daniel and daughter Judy.

Dennis Bates attended the German Hollow School,  a one room school house, that was about two miles from his house for his elementary school years.  He and his siblings would usually walk to school in all the different weathers, but his father collected the Bates children after school in bad weather.  The school was the center of the small farming community and hosted spelling bees, Christmas Parties and 4-H events.  

Dennis Bates and his family went camping every year to the  Adirondacks and this year they went to Raquette Lake, NY circa 1948.  Dairy farmers didn't get many vacations and going camping for a weekend was the trip of the year.

The Slaters were close neighbors to the Bates family and they often helped each other with farm chores.

Dennis was a lifelong friend of my Dad, Leon Gridley. I enjoyed hearing stories of Dennis and Betty Lou through the years. Last summer I was fortunate enough to join the Wednesday lunch group and spend some time with Dennis. He was a character! He was very kind to my husband and I. He would part the group each week stating “ see ya next week if your lucky”. Sad our luck has run out. We will miss the talks of tractors and challenges and fish stories. He always left us with a smile and a chuckle. He loved his family very much as his eyes would light up as he shared stories. He was everything I think of when I hear the word farmer-tough, determined, resilient, jack of all trades, carefully chose his words, honorable, authentic  and  refused to live his life by a clock.
Dennis will be missed.

Denny was like a grandpa to me and when he cried I always cried. He had a heart of gold and I always loved to get some good laughs in with him. As a child, going to West Windfield on Memorial Day was a highlight where we could all gather and enjoy each other's company. I will miss him and I hope he is up there with my grandpa (Daniel Monroe) continuing the laughs and jokes together ❤. 

Uncle Dennis was a tease, but when you needed help he was the first one there to help you.  One of my earliest memories of him was when his sister June (Bates) Cooley ran out of gas and had her three little daughters, all under five years old, in tow.    To a five year old me the situation seemed so dire, but my mother called her brother Dennis and he immediately came to help.  His "Upbeat Let's Get This Fixed" attitude really calmed down us down and reassured us.   It also helped that he bought us chocolate bars at the gas station.  He just made us feel so loved and safe.

From then on I knew Uncle Denny was there to help our family and that gave me a life time of assurance that there was someone close by that I could depend on.   

Uncle Denny was a treasure to both his family and community and he will be greatly missed.

Uncle Denny will always remembered for his sence of humor. Was a wonderful person to talk with. I remember at the fair with his little strawberry baskets to collect the light bulbs when the fair was over.  Coming over to the house every year for the clam bbq and Chucks birthday. Always ways a joy to visit with. He is loved so much and will always cherish his memories. Love you all. 

Bates Family:

Grandpa was a special guy and always had the biggest smile on his face whenever he saw you and loved to talk and so enjoyed our pancake breakfasts and chicken bbqs! 

Cherish all of the great times and memories and keep them close to your heart as will I! He will be another angel on your shoulder! Love and Hugs to you all! 

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Dennis Bates

25 octobre 1935 – 2 juillet 2022

R.J. Fahy Funeral Home

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