Alta M. OATES

OATES, Alta M.
July 29, 1923 - April 19, 2014

Alta M. Oates passed away peacefully Saturday, April 19, in her Sacramento home where she raised her four children and lived the last 65 years of her bountiful life as a loving mother, caring friend, and a tireless teaching professional in area high schools. Funeral services will be held Saturday, April 26, at 11:00 a.m. at Lombard & Company Funeral Directors, 1550 Fulton Avenue in Sacramento. A celebration of life will commence immediately following the service in the natural gardens surrounding the Oates family home at 3015 Crest Have Drive, Sacramento, California.

Born Alta Grace McClintock on her parent's farm near Lodi, California, on July 29, 1923, Alta graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA in 1945, with degrees in speech pathology/therapy and music arts. Upon graduation, she declined invitations to relocate to the Great Lakes region, choosing instead to remain in Northern California where she began a lifetime of service in public education as a speech pathologist and therapist with the Sacramento City School District.

It was during her work with students at Sacramento Senior High School that she met her future husband, Jack P. Oates, where he was head of the English Department. The two married in 1947 and soon after purchased an old dairy farm on the banks of Chicken House Slough outside the city's northern limits. There they built their home together, converting the old milking stanchions into new living space and replacing the hayloft above with a rental apartment for extra income.

Alta's husband and parents, Hazel Nealey McClintock and Neil McClintock, preceded her in death. She is survived by her four children and four grandchildren: Jack C. Oates of Sacramento and granddaughter Lauren Marie Oates of Roseville; Jeffrey D. Oates of Hastings, Nebraska, and grandson's Jonathan Rhayader Oates of Washington, D.C., and Colin Michael Oates of Aurora, Colorado, and granddaughter Katherine Danielle Oates of Alexandria, Virginia; Christopher Lewis Oates and wife Joan of Sacramento; and Frances Patricia Oates of Seattle.

Alta is also survived by her sister Lois Wood and many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, including Sherry Pifer and daughter Cynthia; Joseph and Uta Wood; Kathy Wood and sister Mary.

Alta returned to teaching as a single mother of four at El Camino High School in Sacramento where she taught English, writing, and remedial reading for children with learning disabilities. she also coached the debate team until she retired. Throughout her career she championed the interests and achievements of children with learning disabilities, no matter what their physical, emotional or cultural origins. She loved children and encouraged her own to develop their abilities and to pursue their personal interests in the outdoors, athletics, and other areas, driving them in the family station wagon wherever they needed to go, until they were old enough to drive themselves: tennis practices, matches and tournaments around the state; hunting and fishing trips to the mountains; and a never-ending array of student clubs and activities-always with a stack of papers to correct at her side.

A lifelong member of Delta Delta Delta, Alta loved classical music and got perhaps her greatest pleasure watching her children and grand children graduate from high school and college. Where some seek the light to stand and be seen, she sought the light to hold up high and help others find their way. She will be missed by family, friends, and by all who had the pleasure to know her. Gifts in Memoriam can be sent in her name to the charity of the giver's choice.

A short burial ceremony at graveside will be held Tuesday, April 29, at 11:00 a.m. at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California, where Alta will rejoin her deceased husband and decorated World War II veteran after being apart for 60 years.

The family wishes to express its deepest gratitude for the loving care provided by the exceptional family of caregivers that made it possible for Alta to be where she always wanted to be in the end- home.

Thank you to the entire hospice team and to Marilyn, Lashon, and Laura and to Laura's very special daughter Katelyn who could always find a way to make Alta smile.