Millard Ray Bates, 82, Kokomo, passed away on Thursday, July 10, 2014, at Jefferson Manor. He was born March 6, 1932, in Union County, Tennessee, to Joseph and Lucy (Sands) Bates. He married Maudie Bates, and she preceded him in death in July 2002.
He served in the United States Army during the Korean War and later worked at American Standard Pottery.
He is survived by one daughter, Cynthia (Garvin) Raylene Johnson, New Haven; three grandsons, Rick, Eric, and Scott Turk; two great-grandsons, Brandon and Lincoln Turk; one brother, Joseph Bates, Kokomo; and two sisters, Margaret Bates, Kokomo, and Eva Ward, Tega Cay, South Carolina.
In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Harvey and Claude Bates; and one sister, Betty Bannon.
Military honors will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday at Kokomo Memorial Park Cemetery. Entombment will follow. Memorial contributions may be made to the Kokomo Senior Citizens Center. Messages of condolence may be expressed online at www.sunsetmemorygarden.com. Sunset Memory Garden Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements.
