Obituary for Nancy M. Bates

On Monday, September 27, 2021 Nancy Bates beloved wife and mother of two children passed away at the age of 91.

Nancy was born on January 13, 1930 in Letcher County to Millard and Lilly (Webb) Polly. On June 17, 1950 she married Ralph Bates Jr. They raised two daughters Deborah and Lynda. She owned and operated Nancy's Style Shoppe in Whitesburg, Kentucky for thirty-six years until her retirement in August 1991. She was a member of the First Baptist Church in Whitesburg, Ky.

Nancy loved working in her store and wearing the latest fashions. She also enjoyed painting ceramics and after retirement she started painting with acrylics. Her paintings are not only enjoyed by the family but also by other people in the community that have some of her works. Nancy loved children and would readily smile and talk to them whenever they were near. Her grandchildren and great-grand children were the apples of her eye. After retiring from the store she moved to Lexington where she enjoyed meeting and talking to people whenever she shopped at "her" Kroger or "her" Macy's. She truly enjoyed meeting and talking to new and old friends.
Nancy was preceded in death by both her mother, Lilly, and her father, Millard and five siblings: Bonnie Smallwood, Virgil Polly, Doris Lewis, Jenell Salyer, and Ronald Polly. She is survived by her husband Ralph Bates, daughters Deborah Ison (Tom) and Lynda Harker (Randy), four grandchildren Lyndsey Dawson (Caleb) , Ali Firios (Nicco), Nick Harker, and Bryan Ison, and three great-grandchildren Norah Dawson, Emerie Firios, and Miles Dawson, one sister Sandra Butler and one brother Ray Polly.