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Joseph Bates Obituary
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Spencerport: Tuesday, August 29, 2023, at age 28. He is survived by his father and mother, Joseph G. and Rhonda (Giugno) Bates; brother, Jonah Bates; sister, Adrienne Leigh Bates; grandparents, Kenneth Bates, Rita Bates, Deacon John and Robbie Giugno; many aunts, uncles and cousins. Joey was a talented musician and composer and loved sharing his pieces and playing music with his friends. He was a graduate of the University at Buffalo where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geographic Information Science and Geology.
No prior calling. On Tuesday, September 5, 2023, all are invited to attend his Funeral Mass at 9:30AM at St. Theodore's Church, 168 Spencerport Rd. Interment, private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester, 1048 University Ave., Rochester, NY 14607 in his memory.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
5 Entries
Kimber Knowlton
September 5, 2023
I met Joey at UB through my best friends Cooper and Hunter - I can't believe it's been almost 10 years since I first met him. I´ve always been fortunate enough to be a part of a large and supportive friend group that practically functioned like family. Joey instantly became a part of our "chosen family" and helped our group grow even bigger when he introduced us to the "Rochester Kids" (his closest friends from home). Joey was always surrounded by the best people, and the more I got to know him, it was easy to see why. He is incredibly caring, funny, creative, inspiring, and most of all, loving. Everyone that knew Joey saw how much he loved his friends and family, and he never hesitated to tell those he cared about most that he loved them. My greatest memories and ways I like to remember Joe were at "Sweet Home" during my last year of school. Cooper, Hunter, Joey, and (later) Matthew all lived together here. I would visit them almost every weekend. I now see Buffalo as my home because of the people I share such wonderful memories with. Thank you Joey for building and being a part of our family. Love you always
Kimber Knowlton
September 5, 2023
I met Joey at UB through my best friends Cooper and Hunter - it's hard to believe that nearly 10 years have gone by since meeting him. Many of my favorite memories and ways I wish to remember Joey go all the way back to Sweet Home. Cooper, Josh, Joey, and (later) Matthew all lived together here and I visited them almost every single weekend during my last year of school. This is when I really got to know Joey and came to understand just how caring, funny, talented, and loving he was. Everyone that knew Joey saw how much he loved his friends and family, and most importantly, he never hesitated to tell them. He was always surrounded by the best people and brought them together every chance he could. I'm grateful to have truly known Joey, and lucky to have the friendships I have now because of him. Love you always Joe
Valerie Zazzaro Robertson
September 4, 2023
Rhonda and Joe (brand new parents ) came to me to watch their little 2 yr old Joey. I didn´t know Rhonda Bates but knew Rhonda Guigno not realizing it was the same Rhonda. When we met we realized how we knew each other. Our families have connections through our grandparents. I was blessed to be part of their daycare program for Joey. John Guigno had a very special bond with his grandson and often came to get him. I am at a loss for words to express my deepest sorrow upon hearing about the loss of Joe "Joey" My heart aches for you and for the entire family, and I can't begin to comprehend the pain you must be going through. Words can never fully heal the wounds caused by such a profound loss. Please know that "Joey" will always be remembered and cherished. His spirit, love, and the beautiful memories you shared together will forever live on in your heart. Grief is a deeply personal journey, and there is no right or wrong way to navigate through it. I am sending you my deepest condolences, love, and strength during this extraordinarily challenging time.
With heartfelt sympathy,
Valerie Zazzaro-Robertson
Ivy Stevens-Gupta
September 3, 2023
I first met Joey while he was a student at UB. He shared an apartment with my son Hunter Stevens and 2 other roommates. I instantly liked Joey and appreciated his sense of humor. I remember his room looked like something out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine (bed was actually made, curtains hanging, book´s artistically displayed, cool wall art and very tidy). We also had intellectual conversations about religion and life in general. My heart goes out to his parents and family.
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Hunter Stevens
September 1, 2023
One thing Joey and I really connected on was music. For a semester at UB, one of the rooms in our apartment was empty since one of our friends moved out. Joey and I took this opportunity to turn it into a music room. He brought in his speakers and we brought all our amps and instruments in. The room was mostly empty so it had a lot of nice reverb. Whether we were playing acoustic guitar and singing Modern Baseball together or giving our neighbors a free concert as we´d play some loud riffs on the electric guitar, we just really enjoyed having that space to jam together. Years later, we´d always talk about how awesome it was having that music room. Definitely a mutual favorite memory of ours during our glory days of sharing an apartment together at UB.
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