Obituary of Joyce Roxanne Bates

Joyce was born in The Dalles, Oregon to Mary and Roy Ohlegschalger, and spent over 50 of her 98 years of life in Skamania County, WA. She is survived by her daughters Vickie (Bates) Stewart, Sue (Bates) Lorentz (Chuck) and Dawn Bates; son Richard Bates (Debbie); grandchildren Mary Sue Russell (Kurt), Jackie (Bible) Thorp, Lori Hart (Shane), Amanda Mack, Rickey Dean Lowrance, and Amber Atwell (Levi); and several great and great-great-grandchildren. Joyce was preceded in death by her husband Charles “Chuck” Bates, great-grandson Andrew Bible, and granddaughter Sheri (Lorentz) Springman. Joyce lived a full life as a loving mother and grandmother and a fiercely competitive bingo player. She was known to spend many of her days baking, creating and painting ceramics, knitting, crocheting, reading romance novels, making her signature dishwashing scrubbies and rooting for the Dallas Cowboys (she “just liked cowboys” – “didn’t care if they were playing football or what they were doing”). She also enjoyed playing slot machines at the casino, watching Westerns, playing cards with her friends and sitting at her window admiring the flowers and wildlife. Most of all, Joyce loved her family who will forever remember her for her big heart, her hilarious wit and her creative spirit. Per the family no service will be scheduled. Arrangements have been entrusted to Brown's Funeral Home in Camas, Washington. To send condolences to the family, please visit Joyce's guest book at www.brownsfh.com