Obituary of Jeanette Elizabeth Shay Bates

Jeanette Elizabeth Shay Bates (“Jan”) passed away November 18, 2021 at her daughter Marcia’s home in Riverview, Florida. Jan was born December 2, 1922 in Newburgh, New York to Frank and Jane Shay. She was predeceased by her brother Frank, her husband Burt, and her son Glenn. She is survived by her daughters Gaynell, Marcia, and Landa; son Keith; daughters-in-law Susan and Beth; and grandchildren Ashley, Evan, Katie, Virginia, Nicole, Melissa, and Matthew. Jan was educated at the New York State College for Teachers, but quickly found teaching not to her liking. She opted instead to stay close to home working in Newburgh as an office manager as she planned her wedding to Burt Bates, “a very cute sailor boy” from Maine she had met at a USO Dance. Her marriage to that cute sailor boy, Burt Bates, lasted for 69 years. With her youngest children approaching adulthood, Jan began augmenting the family income by working temporary jobs in office settings, and she was proud of her ability to learn the “modern” office machines and practices quickly. When Jan’s father died at a relatively young age, she and Burt welcomed her mother, who was confined to a wheelchair, into their home where she lived as a part of the Bates family for fourteen years. “Grandma” participated in all the activities of the very busy Bates family, with the boys becoming very adept at piloting her wheelchair over sidewalks, curbstones and steps in those pre-handicapped accessible years. More than sixty years later, after Burt’s passing, Jan became the Grandma who returned to live with her children, in this case daughter Landa and family in Tom’s River, and then daughter Marcia in Florida Jan loved family gatherings and vacations, traveling with Burt, and dancing and socializing with their many friends over the years. They especially loved square dancing and playing bridge with their friends. Jan was always active in the church, taking on regular volunteer tasks and teaching Sunday School for many years. A stay-at-home mom until her youngest child was in High School, she occupied her time encouraging and supporting her children’s activities and giving to the larger community. She served as a Cub Scout and Girl Scout leader, a Little League volunteer, and a booster of school bands and local swim teams as her children participated in these activities. Jan and Burt especially enjoyed spending time with their seven grandchildren, who all had the pleasure and good fortune of knowing Grandma and Grandpa well. If you wish, the family will appreciate memorial donations be made to the Holt International adoption agency (holtinternational.org/adoption) 250 Country Club Rd in Eugene, Oregon 97401. A memorial service will be held at the Higgins Memorial Home, 20 Center Street, Freehold on Saturday, July 16, 2022 at noon with Rev. Alan D. Olson officiating. The interment will follow at the family plot at Old Tennent Cemetery, Tennent.