BATES, John O.

John O. Bates, 58, of Schuyler, a retired Grand Island firefighter, died Wednesday, November 17, 2004, at his home in rural Schuyler. Funeral services will be Monday at 10:30 A.M. at Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home in Grand Island. The Rev. Jim Bates will officiate. Burial will be in Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation in Schuyler will be Saturday from 1pm to 5 pm at Svoboda Funeral Home South Chapel. Visitation in Grand Island will be Sunday from 4 to 8 pm at Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home. John was born May 30, 1946, at Grand Island to Donald and Josephine (Hurley) Bates. Survivors of the immediate family include his wife, Sharon of Schuyler; his daughter and son-in-law, Rebecca and Don La Pointe of Niobrara, NE, his son and daughter-in-law, Timothy and Carrie Bates of Brookings, SD; his mother and her friend, Josephine Hagadorn and Harlan Gulzow of Grand Island; one brother and sister-in-law, Don and Jenny Bates of North Carolina; and two sisters, Jolene Didier of Texas and Peggy Nelson of Grand Island. Additional survivors include two foster sons, Andrew and Matthew Hughes both of Schuyler; and six grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father, Donald Bates, and his uncle, Clyde Hurley. John grew up and attended school in Grand Island, graduating from Grand Island Senior High School in 1964. He married Sharon Kay Hughes on October 2, 1965, in Grand Island. He served in the U.S. Army from Jan. 25, 1966 to Jan. 24, 1968. John worked as a firefighter with the Grand Island Fire Department for many years. He retired from firefighting in 2001 and moved to an acreage north of Schuyler. He worked part-time for Colfax County as a jailer. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, woodworking, golfing, photography, doing remodeling work, gardening, training dogs and raising sheep. He was a member of the American Legion.