Wayne Lamar Bates, 80, of Olla, passed from this life on Sunday, December 17, 2017, at Citizens Medical Center in Columbia Heights.
He was born November 9, 1937 in Shreveport to the union of Effie Adeline Wood Bates and Louis James Bates of Castor, LA.
Wayne was a 1955 graduate of Castor High School. He continued his education at Northwestern State University where he received a Bachelor of Art in Education. Because of his love to fix things he took correspondence courses in air conditioning, refrigeration, television, radio, and mechanics. He also took welding and speed-reading at trade school. Wayne also served in the Louisiana National Guard for ten years.
Wayne taught school in Oakdale and Lake Charles, and served as a juvenile probation officer for four years. He had a 49 year career with State Farm, first as an automobile claims adjuster and later became an agent with an office in Jena.
Wayne was a deacon at First Baptist Church of Jena and then at Olla First Baptist, where he was a member until the time of his death. He also taught Sunday School for many years.
Services will be held at 1 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 20, in the sanctuary of Olla First Baptist Church with Rev. Greg Dunn officiating.
Interment will follow in the Pine Grove Cemetery of Rhinehart under direction of Riser Funeral Home of Olla.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a son, Bradford Keith Bates.
Wayne is survived by his wife of 60 years, Patsy Ruth Bradford Bates; his sons, Patrick Bates (Cheryl) and Craig Sherrill (Jeffrey); daughter, Rona Barbo (Steve); sister, Anna Bennett; brothers, William Bates and Jerry Bates; and grandchildren, Morgan Barbo, Britton Barbo, Madison Bates, Nathan Bates and John Brady Sherrill.
Serving as pallbearers will be Steve Barbo, Morgan Barbo, Canaan Hudson, Keith West, Chad Champlin and Ralph Bennett.
Honorary pallbearers will be Britton Barbo and Nathan Bates.
The family requests that memorial donations be made to: Mid America Baptist Theological Seminary, 2095 Appling Rd., Cordova, TN 38016.