Virginia "Jean" Bates

Virginia (Jean) Bates, age 96, passed away September 6, 2025, at Liberty Village of Princeton.  Jean, a daughter of Delos and Fern Fowler, was born January 23, 1929, in Hillsdale, IL.  She grew up on a farm north of Geneseo and graduated from Geneseo High School in 1946 and ISNU in Normal IL in 1950.  She taught first grade in Savanna and second grade in Wyanet.  She married Donald L. Bates on June 11, 1950, in the Methodist Church in Neponset.  Her son and three daughters survive: Barbara Schilling (Neil) of Oswego IL, Beth Lynch (Greg) of Tucson AZ, Joe Bates (Jody) of Princeton IL, and Laurel Gilbert (Jim) of Aurora IL; also11 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

Jean was an active member of the Wyanet United Methodist Church, the GFWC Princeton Women ‘s Club, and the Princeton Optimist Club. She was an avid reader and enjoyed sewing, needle work, gardening, and farming at Neponset, Buda, and Wyanet.

She was preceded in death by her husband Don on December 22, 2021, her daughter Mary Jean (Mollie) Clapper in 1995, and her brothers Don, Arnie, and Ron Fowler, and her sisters Cathryn DeDoncker, Helen Ellsberry, Neva Hungerford, and Margaret (Peggy) Barnett.

Calling hours will be held at Grant-Johnson Funeral Home in Princeton September 27, 2025 at 10:00 am followed by a funeral service at 11:00 am.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Wyanet United Methodist Church, 112 West Main Street, Wyanet IL 61379 or the Second Story Teen Center, 125 S Main Street, Princeton IL 61356. Burial will be at Floral Hill Cemetery in Neponset, IL.