DUDLEY – Howard K. Bates, 82, died Saturday, March 7, 2015 in Brookside Rehab & Nursing Center, Webster, after a period of declining health.
He leaves his wife of 60 years, Sylvia J. (Kozlowski) Bates; 3 children, Lynn A. Spahl and her husband Jay, and Kenneth W. Bates and his wife Marsha, all of Dudley, and Jean E. Tremblay and her husband Paul of Webster; 4 grandchildren, Gregory R. Spahl and his wife Carolin, Karin E. Lebeau and her husband Dana, and Alie E. Bates, all of Dudley, and Kate I. Tremblay of Webster; a great-grandson, Carter Lebeau; a sister, Claire Pokraka and her husband Ronald of Falmouth; nephews and nieces. His sister Lucille Austin died in January.
He was born in Webster and raised in Dudley, the son of Warren and Irene (Scott) Bates and was a lifelong resident. He graduated from Bartlett High School in 1950 where he played on the varsity basketball and baseball teams. He earned an Associate Degree in Animal Husbandry from the University of Massachusetts Stockbridge School of Agriculture in Amherst.
Mr. Bates owned and operated the Clover Hill Dairy Farm for many years, before retiring in 1987. He then worked in security for US Air at the Worcester Airport for several years. He delivered flowers for Forget-Me-Nots and fruit for Edible Arrangements in Sutton.
He was a member of the First Congregational Church of Dudley, where he had served as a deacon and on the Woodstock Fair Committee. He was an active member and past treasurer of the Dudley Grange #163, which he joined in 1946. He received awards for high milk production from the Dairy Herd Improvement Association.
He enjoyed watching sports, especially the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics.
The funeral will be held Thursday, March 12 at 11:00 AM in the First Congregational Church, 135 Center Road. Burial will be in Corbin Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 to 6:00 PM Wednesday, March 11, in the Sitkowski & Malboeuf Funeral Home, 340 School St., Webster. Donations in his name may be made to either the Dudley Grange #163 Scholarship Fund, PO Box 1514, or to HANDS, PO Box 343, both in Dudley, MA 01571.