Judith A. “Judy” Bates, (formerly Van Pelt), passed away at the age of 70 on December 17, 2016 in Marysville, CA.
She was born July 31, 1946 to Richard L. and Yvonne (Julius) Edwards, in Denver, CO. She moved with her family to Alliance where she graduated high school in 1964. She then attended Bryan Memorial Nursing School in Lincoln, NE and became an RN in 1967.
She joined the United States Army and volunteered to go to Vietnam, where she met her first husband, David Van Pelt. She and David settled in Yuba City, CA. when they left the service.
Judy spent her life caring for others. Because of her experience in Vietnam she was asked to talk about and teach triage and emergency surgery techniques to a group of doctors at Fremont Hospital. Judy worked with the Red Cross when a federal disaster was declared in northern California in 1972. She worked as a floor nurse, then nurse supervisor of Fremont Hospital in Yuba City until she retired in 2009.
She loved to dance, travel, camp, garden, and cook and sew. Judy was a majorette in the AHS band and was an accomplished musician who traveled through Europe, the U.S. and Canada with an orchestra in which she played bassoon. She was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Marysville, CA.
She is survived by her second husband, David Bates of Yuba City; her son David B. Van Pelt and daughter Caroleigh (Brian) Pierce. She had 3 grandchildren, Jacob, Megan and Kaelyn Thayer and a great grandchild Logan. She had 3 brothers, Richard (Ri) L. (Jo Farmer), Yuba City, CA, Patrick J. (Jeanne), Des Moines, IA and Rock W. (Janice), Highpoint,, NC; 2 sisters, Cheryl (Todd) Harris and Barbara (Norm) Nuss both of Alliance. Judy was preceded in death by her mother and father, Yvonne and Richard Edwards.
Memorial services will be held Friday, May 5, 2017 at 2:00 pm at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church followed by a committal at the Nebraska Veteran’s Cemetery. Friends are invited to join the family at the Westside Event Center for a funeral dinner and a time of sharing memories.
Memorials may be given to the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org.
Online condolences may be left at www.batesgould.com. Bates-Gould Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.