He was born September 21, 1940 in Waynesburg, a son of the late Carl and Ada Seighman Bates.
Don was a 1959 graduate of Jefferson-Morgan High School.
He worked as a plumber and pipefitter trades in the construction industry and he was a member of Local #354 of the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, Youngwood.
On April 25, 1959 he married Ivy M. “Dolly” Deems Bates, who died July 22, 2015.
Surviving is a son, Donald L. Bates Jr. of Clarksville; four grandchildren, Jessica Lingenfield, Heather Bates, Cassie Bates and Briana Bates; a brother, Ronald (Therese) Bates of Vero Beach, FL.
Deceased are four sisters, Ruth Johnson, Hazel Piatt, Gladys Piatt, and Edith Harden; and three siblings in infancy, Mildred, Samuel, and Clarence Bates.
Friends will be received on Monday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. in the Behm Funeral Home, 1477 Jefferson Rd., Jefferson, PA 15344, Gregory P. Rohanna, supervisor, where services will be held on Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at 11:00 a.m., with Rev. Paul Roofner, officiating. Entombment will follow in Greene County Memorial Park, Waynesburg. Condolences may be expressed online at www.behm-funeralhomes.com.