Jerry Ray Bates was born on March 10, 1945 to Horace Ray Bates and Viola Floriene Giles Bates on his parent’s 10th wedding anniversary. He died October 3, 2012 at home in the Spring Mill/Cushman area, with his wife, daughter and dog Giblet Gravy at his side.

He was born in Dallas and raised in Irving, Texas. He met Martha Louise Duncan on a blind date in Dallas while she attended nursing school. On June 24, 1972, a Texas man married an Arkansas gal and 40 years later they were still griping and fussing at and over each other. They moved to Martha’s hometown in Arkansas in 1978. He was a mechanic and long-haul trucker most of his life. Later he worked at a full-service gas station in Batesville where he gave “Dum-Dum” suckers to the kids, who called him “Ho-Ho” while he nicknamed them funny names such as “Poog-Oogly,” “Moouise,” “Dirty Legged Sambo,” “Ally Cat,” “Messy Muck,” “Bird Legs” and many others.

He is survived by his wife; daughter Lena Louise Bates; his son Jerry Duncan Bates of Jonesboro, Arkansas; grandsons Eli Benjamin Horace Ray and Koby Ruminer Duncan Ray and wife Brianna and great-grandson Kayden Taylor Blaine Ray; granddaughters Amber Louise Bates, Kyla Maelyn Bates, and Christina Dawn Bates and their mother Tricia; a younger sister, Sandra and Charles Watson of Alvin, Texas; sister-in-law Sue and Gerald Fulbright of Locust Grove, Arkansas; brother-in-law Billy and Glenda Duncan of McCrory, Arkansas; his aunts, uncles, cousins, many nieces, nephews and numerous extended family and friends.

He is proceeded in death by his parents; an older sister, Yvonne Bates McCandless; niece Donna McCandless Lile; his in-laws, Claud and Una Lee Duncan; brother-in-law Steve Duncan and his son Benjamin; and many beloved family members.

Honorary pallbearers are Darrell Bates of Blue Ridge, Texas; Arthur Phillip “Bud” Ogle of Mansfield, Texas; Lynn Silver and Larry Whitely, both of Irving, Texas; Ish Thorpe and Alvis Dodd both of Cushman, Arkansas.

Memorial service and potluck to be held noon Saturday, October 20, 2012 at Cushman Assembly of God in the downstairs Fellowship Hall. Even though this is the first day of muzzleloader season come as you are, nothing fancy, just stop by and share a funny story during this time of celebration and memory. Jerry loved to talk and if you spent any time with him at all this was a well-known fact. He’d use just enough of the truth to make any story possible!! He could always spin a tale about anything and now it’s everyone else’s chance! Tall-tales are good but the truth would be better!! Ashes and a tombstone will be placed at Pilgrim’s Rest Baptist Church in Bethesda, Arkansas. Ashes will also be taken to Texas for a later memorial service.

His sister and father died from cancer while his mother died from stroke complications. With this in mind, the family requests instead of flowers please send a memorial in his name to the: Kenlee Moran fund c/o Steven and Julie Moran at First Community Bank, 1325 Harrison Street, Batesville, AR 72501 for cancer treatment expenses; or to Caring Hands Hospice, 2000 Harrison Suite E., Batesville, AR 72501. A big “THANK YOU” for their team and especially to Jerry’s third favorite nurse, Heather Chadwick.