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LINCOLN-William C. Bates, Jr. 87, of Lincoln passed away at 2:40 a.m. March 10, 2014 at Christian Village, Lincoln.

Bill was born April 13, 1926 in Chicago, IL the son of William C. and Annette Blinn Bates.

He served in the U.S. Army during WW II being discharged as a Second Lieutenant. Following the war, Bill entered the University of Miami, where he graduated from Law School in 1950 with a J.D. Degree cum laude. In 1947, he married Mary Evelyn Lowe, a native Floridian and a direct descendant of the Hendry family, pioneers and early settlers in South Florida. After his graduation, he and his wife moved to Lincoln where he began the practice of law. He practiced alone until 1972 when he joined with Robert J. Woods and Dick H. Woods, Jr. until he retired January 1, 1985. From 1952 to 1964 he served as Master of Chancery of the Circuit Court. He was a member of the Illinois, Florida and Logan County Bar Associations.

Bates served as a member of the Illinois Board of Banks and Trust Companies, and he served four years on the Lincoln District 27 School Board. He also served as a member of the Logan County Board of School Trustees, was a director of the Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the Lincoln Methodist Church Board, and he was a member of the Board of Kickapoo Parks and Trails Foundation. Family business and farming interests were also an ongoing part of his life, as was his interest in Lincoln College. Mr. Bates was a member of the Board of Trustees from 1957 to 1985, serving as President of the Board from 1963-1965. Bill retired in 1985 and moved to Naples, FL with his wife. He was the president of Quail Creek Country Club in 1988 where they were members for 31 years.

They are the parents of three children: Amanda (Steve) Roberts of Thornton, CO; Annette Bates of Lincoln, and William B. (Lauri) Bates of Lincoln; six grandchildren: Julie Blaser, Bethany Lindauer, John Thomas Andrews, Grayson Ingle, Blinn Bates and Sarah Bates. There are four great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister.

Services will be at 11:00 a.m. Friday, March 14, 2014 at Trinity Episcopal Church with Father Mark Evans officiating. Inurnment will be in Old Union Cemetery at a later date. Memorials may be made to the George Gahr Memory Unit at the Christian Nursing Home or the Abraham Lincoln Healthcare Foundation. Services were entrusted to Fricke-Calvert-Schrader Funeral Home, Lincoln.