Maxine M. Bates

On Friday, October 13, Maxine Mary Bates went to be with the Lord. Born in Chicago in 1926, she lived there until age 15 when her family moved to Southern California to support the War Effort. She met Albert Fay (1916-1978) while working at Harvill Die Casting and in 1946 they eloped to Tijuana Mexico. A year later they bought a Willy’s Jeep and utility trailer, packed up their belongings and headed for Southern Oregon where Al’s sister and husband lived on a farm on North Applegate Road. A year later they purchased 82 acres further up the road, built a log cabin, started a family, and joined Murphy Chapel. In 1962, Maxine began working for the US Dept of Ag in the Conservation office. From 1969 to 1990 she worked at the Josephine County Sheriff’s office, first as a secretary/clerk and retiring as Chief Civil Deputy. Her retirement was short lived, as the Applegate Community Church needed a secretary, so Maxine worked there part-time until 2003. In between raising a family and working, Maxine was an active member of the local Home Extension Unit (HEU), Child Evangelism and Christian Women’s Club. Maxine met Emmet Bates (1928-2012) at a Christian singles conference, and they married in 1981.  Together they enjoyed golf, travel, Applegate Community church activities, Gideon’s outreach and many family events including numerous weddings now that their family had doubled. Their travel included supporting missionaries in Ecuador and the Caribbean. In 2021, Maxine sold her home at 160 Wrightwood Circle and moved to Countryside Village and then to The Lodge where she enjoyed bingo and singing.

Maxine is survived by her children, Cindy (Alan) Skinner of Napa, CA, Susie (Jay) Ashbridge, and Tom Fay of Grants Pass. Also, by her grandchildren, Brent (Alexandra) Bates of Ridgewood, NJ, Carlye (Wendell) Krohn of Beaverton, OR, Aaron Fay of Grants Pass, and Aimee Ashbridge, of Manhattan, NY and her great-grandchildren, Travis Fay, Emmet and Eliot Krohn, Micaela, Madison and Morgan Bates.

A celebration of life will be held Saturday, November 4 at 2:00PM at Hull & Hull Funeral Home.

Donations in Maxine’s honor can be made to the following organizations:

Gospel Rescue Mission https://grantspassmission.churchcenter.com/giving

Gideon’s International https://www.sendtheword.org/