James E. Bates, who was 83 years old and from Derry, passed away on Friday, March 15, 2024, according to Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville. These details were provided by Forbes Regional Hospital. However, both of his parents, Thomas E. Bates and Sarah (Keim) Bates, had already passed away prior to his birth on July 18, 1940 in the city of Latrobe. He was the son of the couple.
Jim has been a member of the Latrobe Community Ministries for more than half a century. He has dedicated his time and energy to the organization. In the thirty years leading up to his retirement from the Greater Latrobe School District, he had spent his entire career as an educator working at the Greater Latrobe Junior High School. In spite of the fact that he spent a large amount of time working as a photographer for the Latrobe Bulletin, he also spent a considerable amount of time supervising the food and watercraft concessions at state parks located all around the state.
Taking photographs of home games and training camp was something he enjoyed doing in addition to being a loyal fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Additionally, he was able to travel to three different Super Bowl games and to take professional photographs of each of them. Besides his enthusiasm for photography, two of his favorite interests were going fishing and camping. He also had a passion for photography.
Not only did his parents pass away before him, but his brother, Jack G. Bates, also passed away before him. Additionally, his parents all went away before he did. Jim is survived by his wife, Janice L. (Brumbaugh) Bates, who resides in Derry; one son, Jack M. Bates, who is married to Roselie and lives in Osceola, Pennsylvania; one daughter, Judy B. Scavino, who is married to Hugo and lives in Florida; four grandchildren, Paul Scavino, Carl Scavino, Thomas Bates (Marlene), and Sarah Bates; and two sisters, Joellyn Supancic (William) of Pennsylvania and Janette McDowell of Vancouver, Washington.
On Wednesday, there will be a reception for family and friends at the Lopatich-Brinker Funeral Home, LLC, which can be found at 601 Weldon Street in Latrobe. The celebration will take place from 2:00 to 4:00 and from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Pastor Tom Shrum will preside over the funeral service that will be performed at the funeral home on Thursday morning at eleven o’clock. The service will be held in honor of the deceased patient.
As an alternative to sending flowers, the family suggests that memorial contributions be sent to Latrobe Community Ministries, which may be found at 440 Main Street, Latrobe, Pennsylvania 15650. The departed person will be laid to rest in a private ceremony at Unity Cemetery upon their passing. Please visit www.lopatichbrinker.com in order to share a story with the family, sign the online guest book, or leave a note of condolence for the family.
