Daniel Bates Obituary

Daniel McKinley Bates died July 3, 2025, at Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina, after a brief illness. Dan was born on July 23, 1944, in McPherson, Kansas, to the Reverend Dr. Leslie Bates and Katherine Evelyn Stone Bates. He grew up in Columbia, Missouri, where the family had moved in 1951, and where he met his wife, Ann. Enrolled in Journalism school at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Dan dropped out of school to join the Navy in 1966. After his discharge in 1972, on his return to Columbia, Dan and Ann became a couple, moving to Delores, Colorado, where Dan worked at a logger. On May 20, 1978, Dan and Ann were married in Columbia, then moved to Washington state, first to Omak and then to Aberdeen, where Dan continued working as a logger. After ten years in Washington state, Dan and Ann moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, area to be nearer his family, now located in Black Mountain and Cary; and so, Ann could attend veterinary school at North Carolina State. After four years in Garner, North Carolina, during school, three years in Pineville, North Carolina, and ten years in Candler, North Carolina, Dan and Ann found the farm they had been looking for in Greer, South Carolina. The horse farm was a dream of Ann's, and Dan did everything he could to make it a reality. He managed the farm and delighted in caring for all the horses and cats. His unswerving love and devotion to our care is deeply missed by all his family, two and four legged. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Dr. Ann Fratcher; sisters, Bette Bates and her husband, Robert Tynes, of Black Mountain, North Carolina, and Ellen Bates Board and her husband, Charles Board, of Cary, North Carolina; nieces, Alison Tynes Adams, husband, Drew Adams, and their children, Cylis and Joni, of Black Mountain, North Carolina, and Robin Tynes Miller, husband, Scott Tynes-Miller, and their daughter, Nora of Charlotte, North Carolina; and by nephews, Benjamin Board, Nicholas Board, and his wife, Kristin Willett, all of Cary, North Carolina. He was predeceased by his nephew, William Board. Dan's friends and family are invited to celebrate his life at his favorite place, under the pecan tree at their farm in Greer, on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. The family kindly requests that in lieu of flowers, donations in Dan's memory be made to Folds of Honor. Condolences may be made at www.thewoodmortuary.com.