Courtney Richard Bates Sr. was born August 10, 1948, to the union of Henry W. Bates & Percy V. Bates in East Chicago, Indiana. He attended Roosevelt High School (Gary, IN) and later received his GED certification. Richard joined the Army in 1967. He served his country in the combat infantry and received The National Defense Service Medal, Sharpshooter Badge, Expert Badge, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, as well as two oversea bars. He was honorably discharged on November 28, 1973. Richard was preceded in death by his parents Henry W. Bates and Percy V. Bates, 2 sisters Wendy Bates and Sharon Bates, 2 brothers Henry Bates Jr. and Garret V. Bates, and son Sean Courtney Bates. Richard leaves to cherish fond memories his loving wife of 45 years Beverly Bates; 2 sons Courtney R. & Dontae A. Bates of Asheville, NC; 2 daughters Kay (Montrell) Barnes of Indianapolis, IN and ebony L. Bates of Milwaukee, WI; 4 sisters Viva Binns and Celeste Johnson both of Tampa, FL; Denise Bates of St. Louis, MO; Carla Bates McCallum of Las Vegas, NV; 1 brother Philip (Tracy) Bates of Tampa, FL and a host of grandchildren, aunt, cousins, nieces, nephews and special friends. Visitation Saturday February 7, 2026, from 9 to 11:00 a.m., with funeral service at 11:00 a.m. All services at Guy & Allen Chapel 2959 W. 11th Ave. Gary, IN. Interment
Ridgelawn Cemetery.
