Alva Jean (Braden) Bates

Jean Bates, age 86, of Olathe, Kansas, passed away Saturday, December 3, 2022 at Anthology of Olathe.
It was on the 4th day of November in 1936 that Claude Floyd and Beulah Frances (Hammond) Braden welcomed their youngest of four children, Alva Jean, into their home. Jean was raised on a farm in rural Missouri. She continued to live at home, seeing her father go serve in World War II. Jean helped her mother on the farm through the war years until her father came home after the war. Claude was awarded the purple heart for being shot, injured, and then returning to the war after he healed.
Jean was one of sixteen graduates from Stover High School in 1954. She excelled in school and graduated Valedictorian of her class. She was offered a legal secretary position in Kansas City, Missouri, but met her soul mate, Sterling.
Sterling returned to his home in rural Missouri after serving in the Korean War and met Jean. On September 21, 1954, Jean was united in marriage to Sterling Bates. He preceded her in death on September 10, 2007.
After they were married, Jean and Sterling moved to Tipton, Missouri where Sterling was employed by CO-MO Electric until he retired. They made the decision to raise their four children in Tipton, Missouri. After Sterling retired, he and Jean returned to the farm where he had been born on Big Buffalo Road in rural Stover, Missouri. They lived there and enjoyed their retired life, traveling extensively to all but two states, going to see their favorite team the St. Louis Cardinals play, traveling to NASCAR races, fishing, camping, and enjoying family holidays and get-togethers. Jean and Sterling lived on the farm until he became terminal quite suddenly and unexpectedly. When their life had done a 360 degree turn they decided to purchase a home in Tipton, Missouri and resided there where Sterling passed and Jean continued to live until her health began to deteriorate and she moved to Olathe, Kansas to be closer to her daughter, Pam, and available medical services. Jean resided in Olathe, Kansas for the last year and a half.
Jean was a housewife, daughter, granddaughter, and was generous to a fault. She was busy all of the time, helping grandparents, and enjoyed family and hosting family functions, participated in multiple church functions, charities, and was always on the go and finding nice things to do for others. She was a superb and neat housekeeper, outstanding cook, and always had such lovely decorating ideas. She and Sterling loved to garden. Jean loved to can vegetables and make jellies and jams that always lasted the whole year through. She had such a green thumb and had the most beautiful flower gardens and their lawn was always neat and landscaped by Sterling. They were both hard workers, and when they weren't working, they always found time to play with their kids and eventually their grandkids, having so much fun. They gave them good memories to cherish for a lifetime.
Left to carry on Jean’s legacy are her three children and their spouses, Mark and Maria Bates, Tricia Boehlen and Robert Fox, and Pamela and Hamid Dehdashti; eight grandchildren, Seameen Dehdashti, Sara (Dehdashti) Shelden, Mitchell Bates, Dionne (Bates) Murphy, Nicholas Boehlen, Braden Boehlen, Joseph Bates and Steven Bates; eleven great grandchildren, Olivia and Lucas Shelden, Zareen Elizabeth Brachmann, Jane Murphy, Benjamin Bates, Reese Owens-Boehlen, Brynlee Boehlen, Levi Bates, Austin Bates, Neila Bates and Chance Bates; and a brother, Eldon Braden; along with many other relatives and friends.
Along with her husband and parents, Jean was preceded in death by one son, Kevin Bates and two sisters, Rose Newgaard and Cleola Braden.
Funeral services were Thursday, December 8, 2022 with burial in the Big Buffalo Cemetery.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Big Buffalo Cemetery.