Shirley June (Forriester) Bates Obituary
We celebrate the life of Shirley June Bates, who passed away on April 19th 2023 at the age of 92 with her family at home. She was a remarkable woman, full of zest, curiosity, humor and compassion.
Shirley was born in Monroe, Washington, to Wilfred & Ethyle Forriester on January 17, 1931. She grew up in Pullman Washington with her brother Gary, working on the family farm, having fun with cousins and neighborhood friends, and hanging with her grandpa in his well-attended flower garden, and sneaking cream off the top of the milk jugs in the fruit room as a little girl. She attended Pullman High School where she developed lifelong passion for sewing and an appreciation for art. Her childhood was an idyllic time in her life, which she recalled fondly.
On December 20, 1952, Shirley married Dick Gene Bates in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Shirley and Dick went on to have 2 children, Lynda Diane and Denise Dawn. Dick was enlisted in the Navy (6 years) and Airforce (20 years) and the couple traveled frequently during their early marriage, including Bitburg Germany, Spokane Wa, Colorado Springs, Co. Pheonix, Az., Mount Lake Terrace, Wa., Portland Or. and finally settled in Vancouver Washington in 1974.
Shirley was adventurous and tried and pursued many activities such as stock car racing in her late teens, she travelled alone and with tour groups to Thailand, Egypt, Turkey, Europe, Caribbean, Alaska, the list goes on. She’s zip lined, rode an elephant down the Nile, kissed the Blarney stone, walked through the baths in Rome and the cobblestones in Ephesus. She danced her entire life, hitch-hiking to the dance hall in her youth, won trophies for her Argentine tango, joined the Moose Lodge, followed bands around town and brought the music home from all of her travels. She once broke her wrist roller-dancing at 70 and rode a jet-ski for the first time on a girls trip at 80. She worked in dry cleaners as a tailor during the frequent moves following her husband in the Air Force. Once settle in Vancouver, she went on to open a Tailoring shop, Shirley’s Tape and Shears and you can still find her window dressing at the last location on 9th street downtown Vancouver. She tailored for Miss Washington pageant contestants, posing trunks for body builders, 100’s of brides and groomsman, a wide community of professionals downtown and surrounding area.
Shirley was a devoted mother and grandmother who instilled a signature goodbye with the sign (language) I-Love-You at the end of any encounter. She looked forward to visits from her kids and grandkids and instilled in them a love for music, dancing and a penchant for dressing in style! She had an amazing memory and told entertaining stories, sometimes with a hint of exaggeration. Even in her last few days, she was sharing her favorite tropical loculations from her travels to 67 countries and every continent. A few of her favorites were Bali, Antigua and Napal, St Petersburg Florida. She had a passion for traveling.
Shirley was predeceased by her mother and father, step-father John Schuster, step-mother Helen Black, brother Gary Hugh Forriester and husband Dick Bates. She will be deeply missed by her children Lynda Diane and Tracy Wilson, Denise Dawn Coldwell-Filbin and Mike Filbin, Step-daughter Karen Malo, grandchildren Brianne (Wilson) and Andreas Johnson, Austin and Anastasia (Martynenko) Coldwell, Cerisse (Wilson) and Alex Bansefay, Morgan Filbin, Kelsey (Wilson) and Darrin Kertzman, Connor Filbin, Chad Carpenter, Jodie Johnson-Polehanka and 10 great grandchildren, extended family and countless friends.
Join us Saturday, May 27th starting at 1pm, for an afternoon of BBQ and Bourbon at Shirley’s Celebration of Life held at DeWils Design Center, 12907 NE 4th Plain Blvd, Vancouver Wa. RSVP to 360-314-8221 (Denise) and don’t forget to bring your dance shoes!
