Kenneth Bates

Kenneth Bates, 64, of Norcross, passed away unexpectedly Friday, December 19, 2014, at Prairie Ridge Hospital in Elbow Lake. Kenneth Leland Bates was born on August 2, 1950 in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, the son of George and Lillian (Twenge) Bates. Ken attended elementary school in Wendell and graduated from Elbow Lake High School in 1968. He went on to attend the Productive Ag program at Alex Tech, graduating in 1970. In the early eighties while living in Wendell, Ken owned the Wendell Pool Hall, until marrying Kathleen Pigeon in 1985. He farmed all of his life on the land that was homesteaded by his grandfather in 1903, and had been continued to live on the family farm, even after retiring. Ken thoroughly enjoyed reading and would spend hours working on and restoring toy tractors. He dabbled in building farm toys, and in his earlier years, enjoyed woodworking and "building things." Ken could often be seen at area car shows, along with his prized Corvette and also attended area "threshing bee's" in Rosholt, Rollag and Dalton. Ken's final act of kindness was to give the gift of life by choosing to be an organ donor. Ken is survived by his wife, Kathleen of Norcross; three step-children, Gary Pigeon of Fairmount, ND, Tamara (Melvin) Heilman of Center, ND, and Vicki (Peter) Mandt of Wahpeton, ND; sister, Marilyn Krick of Minneapolis; brother, Marvin (Mary) of Hudson, WI; 11 step-grandchildren, Jesse, Andrea (Ryan), Aaron, Kristy, Ashley (Cody), Kayla, Shawn, Terry, Amanda, Andrew, and Theodore; four step-great-grandchildren, Weston, Britton, Calli Jo, and Elizabeth; numerous nieces and nephews; and by his dog, Harley. In addition to his parents, Ken was preceded in death by a brother-in-law, Arthur Krick; a step-great-grandchild in infancy; and several aunts and uncles. Visitation: 5 – 7 PM Monday, at Erickson-Smith Funeral Home in Elbow Lake, and one hour prior to services at the church. Funeral Service: 10 AM Tuesday, December 23, 2014, at St. Olaf Catholic Church, Elbow Lake Interment: Lakeside Cemetery, Herman Condolences: EricksonSmithFH.com

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Funeral Home: Erickson-Smith Funeral Home - Elbow Lake 116 1st Street NE Elbow Lake, MN US 56531

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Previous Events

Visitation
Monday, December 22, 2014
Service
Tuesday, December 23, 2014