Judith Bates

Judith (Judy) A. Bates (formerly Van Pelt), passed away at the age of 70 on December 17, 2016, in Marysville, CA. She was born July 31, 1946 in Denver, CO. She moved with her family to Alliance, NE, where she graduated high school in 1964. She then attended nursing school in Lincoln, NE and became an RN in 1967. She joined the United States Army and volunteered to go to Vietnam, where she met her first husband, David Van Pelt. She and David moved to his hometown of Yuba city when they left the service. Judy spent her life caring for others. She worked as a floor nurse, then nurse supervisor of Fremont Hospital in Yuba City until she retired in 2009. She loved to dance, travel, camp, garden, cook and sew. She was an accomplished musician and traveled through Europe, the U.S. and Canada with an orchestra in which she played bassoon. She is survived by her second husband, David Bates of Yuba City; her son David B. Van Pelt and daughter Caroleigh Pierce. She had 3 grandchildren, Jacob, Megan and Kaelin Thayer and a great grandchild Logan. She had 3 brothers, Ri, Pat and Rocky; 2 sisters, Cheryl and Barb. Judy was preceded in death by her mother and father, Yvonne and Richard Edwards. There will be a memorial service later in Nebraska; and an open house to celebrate her life at herhome on Thursday, December 29, 2016 from 1 -4 pm. For info., call David at (530) 674-7074 or Caroleigh at (530) 828-1958.