Name: John Will Bates, age 78
Date of Birth:June 9, 1924 in Lobelville, Perry Co, TN
Date of Death: May 8, 2003 in Linden, Perry Co, TN
Date of Funeral: May 10, 2003
Burial Site: DePriest Bend Cemetery in Lobelville, Perry Co, TN
Parents: Everette and Nora Lynch Bates
Spouse: Shirley Bates (deceased)
Survivors: son, Bill (Lauranne) Bates; grandson, Brad Bates; great-granddaughter, Cameron Cotham
Preceded in death: parents; spouse

Source:
Alligood, Leon. “Linden Banker John Will Bates Dies, ” Nashville Tennessean, May 9, 2003

John Will Bates, 78, who rose from being a laborer with a natural gas company to a 40-year tenure as president of the Bank of Perry County, died yesterday at Perry Community Hospital in Linden, Tenn. Mr. Bates had been diagnosed with cancer about six months ago. ”He was a man who loved his job, he remained president until the time of his death, and he loved to golf. He would sometimes play four or five times a week,” said his son, Bill Bates of Hohenwald. Mr. Bates’ favorite course was the closest to home and work, Buffalo River Country Club near Linden. ”He also loved to follow the University of Tennessee football team. He didn’t go to school at UT but he enjoyed watching them play,” his son said. Mr. Bates was a U.S. Army veteran who served stateside during World War II. Although he never earned a degree in finance or banking, Mr. Bates was named president of the rural bank when he was 38. ”He learned on the job,” his son said. In the late 1980s, Mr. Bates served as president of the Independent Bankers Association. He also was a board member of Plateau Credit Life Insurance Co. and was a Shriner. Survivors include two grandchildren and a great-grandchild. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. tomorrow at McDonald Funeral Home in Lobelville, Tenn. Burial will follow at DePriest Bend Cemetery in Lobelville.