Marilyn W Bates

Marilyn W. Bates, daughter, sister, wife, mom, Nana, passed away August 23, 2018, surrounded by her family at Billings Clinic.
Born in Richland, Indiana, on December 12, 1943, to Herbert and Martha (Cundiff) Wilhelmus, she was the 4th of 6 children. She grew up on the family farm and graduated from Luce Township High School.

Marilyn attended Nurses training for a year, but was promptly swept off her feet by Larry Bates. They were married on May 26, 1962, and moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico, where daughter, Trecia, was born in October of 1963.
They moved to Sheridan in 1966, where son, Kevin, was born in November of 1967.

In the late 60 and 70's, Marilyn and Larry owned several businesses in the Sheridan area to include a Subaru dealership and other distributorships.

After the kids had left the nest, they moved to Arizona as a second home. Marilyn was the Owner/Real Estate Broker for ReMax A Bar Z Realty in Arizona City for 20 years, before selling the business and moving back to the homestead in Sheridan.

Marilyn didn't waste much time as she opened ReMax Bighorn Properties in Sheridan, where she held a Real Estate Broker's license in Wyoming and Montana. Daughter-in-law, Jill, and she branded THE BATES TEAM and were Top Producers in Sheridan County. Once diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Marilyn and the Team transitioned to ERA for a short time until she began to struggle more with her health.

Marilyn was always warm and welcoming with a glowing smile, quick wit, happy demeanor and positive outlook on life. She loved the outdoors and spending time with her family. She was active in her community, with her children and grandchildrens' lives and always quick to lend a hand.

She was a wife, mother and Nana, first and foremost. She is survived and will be truly missed by Larry Bates of Sheridan, husband of 56 years, son, Kevin (Jill) and grandchildren, Colton and Carson Bates of Sheridan WY; daughter Trecia (Jerry) and grandchildren, Sierra and Logan Brantz of Osburn, ID, Jake (Alisa) and great granddaughter, Braelynn Brantz of Kenosha, WI ; mother-in-law, Gythel Bates of Sheridan ; sister Betty Jane (Dale) Wangler, and brother, Mike (Vicki) Wilhelmus of Richland IN, and many nieces and nephews.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Doris Jean and Julia Ann, an infant brother, and father-in-law Harold.

"Celebration of Life" in honor of Marilyn Bates will take place on Saturday, October 27, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. at the Volunteers of America Bill Daniels Chapel, in Sheridan.
We encourage everyone to wear bright happy colors and help us Celebrate Marilyn's life! We'd love for you to come and share a special memory or thought that day.

In lieu of flowers, donations will be used to establish a scholarship in the name of Marilyn Bates.

Marilyn's story can be seen at Legacy.com, online condolences welcome.