Reed J Bates

Reed J. Bates was born September 30, 1947 to Jay Francis Bates and Ella Jeanne Vedder Bates, in Rigby, Idaho, the first of 5 children.  He had a happy childhood in Rigby. His summers were idyllic, playing with his cousins Jerry, Ron, Tom, Karen and Craig (a close-knit group who traded time spent in Rigby and Seattle).
 
In 1964, the family moved to Boise when his father was appointed U.S. Attorney by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Reed graduated from Boise High School with the class of '65. He attended Boise Junior College on a baseball scholarship and played for Coach Lyle Smith.
 
Reed made the decision to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1966-1968 in the Southwest Indian Mission where he lived on Indian reservations and loved the people!
 
He attended BYU starting in 1968. He met Kristin Luedtke in October of 1969 at BYU. They were engaged on December 5, 1969, and married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 1, 1970. Their first baby, Melissa arrived on April 4, 1971. Still going to school full time at night, and working full time during the day at a service station, Reed was able to trade a set of new snow tires for the doctor's wife's car to pay the obstetrician's bill for baby #2, Jay, who arrived June 6, 1973. Reed graduated that week and the family moved to Denver, Colorado. Two more moves to San Pablo, California and Redding, California convinced Reed to find a job closer to grandparents in Boise. Two more moves included a short stay in Ogden, Utah and finally Boise, Idaho. After 8 years, Eden joined the family and three and a half years later, Dallin arrived. The family was complete.
 
Reed was always happiest when he could be with his family...coaching Jay and Dallin in baseball, watching Missy dance, and cheering on Eden as she played basketball.
 
Reed loved baseball and knew the game inside and out. His favorite team was the New York Yankees. He was a longtime youth baseball coach, and was passionate about helping his players succeed.
 
He devoted his life to loving and serving. He was called to be the Bishop of a brand new ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Boise Shoshone Ward) in 2008. Seven years later he was released, the ward and the Boise South Stake were dissolved. They were his favorite seven years!
 
He loved to travel and if there was a beach involved, he was in heaven. He and Kris spent many wonderful times together in Long Beach, Washington, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and both the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast of Florida. The trip of his lifetime was to Taiwan to pick up Dallin from his mission.
 
Reed's family grew to include his children's spouses and his grandchildren, whom he welcomed with open arms and his loving heart. He is loved and survived by: Kris, his wife of 51 years; Melissa, Kip, and McKena Crofts; Jay, Christa, Bailey, and Mia Bates; Eden, Dan, Brooklyn, Cache, Bellamie, Durham, Winn, and Destyn Beus; and Dallin, Christy, Ambry McCashland and Hallie Jo Bates.