Larry Arlen Bates, age 83, of Marietta, Ohio, died Thursday, September 7, 2023, at The Arbors at Marietta. He was born March 16, 1940, in Caldwell, son of the late Glenden Smith and Noreen Fogle Bates. Larry was a 1959 graduate of Caldwell High School and a United States Army veteran who served from 1959-1962 during the Berlin crisis. He was a member of the Company #541 Army Corp of Engineers and helped build bridges over the Rhine River in Germany. He retired in 1995 as a transport driver for Englefield Oil Company in Marietta. Larry was a member of the Harmar Hill Church of Christ. He enjoyed golfing and loved riding his Honda Gold Wing motorcycle. He was a devoted Christian man who loved his family.
In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by an infant sister, Dixie Lee Bates; and one brother, Glen Leon Bates.
Surviving are his wife, Diane Lee Ogle Bates, whom he married December 23, 1960; two daughters, Renee (Grant) Elliott and Wendy (Ben) Heppner, all of Marietta; four grandchildren, Rachel (Adam) Price, Billy Elliott (Blake), Nicole (Nick) Jobe, and Blake (Raven) Elliott; eight great-grandchildren, Nathan, Avery, Lucas, Nora, Lawson, Natalie, Nolla, and Nash; his siblings, Lloyd (Barbara) Bates, Gary (Linda) Bates, Terry (Nancy) Bates, Cindy (Steve) Johnson, and Luann (Alan) Brown; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Friends may call Monday, September 11, 2023, from 11AM-1PM at McVay-Perkins Funeral Home, 416 East Street, Caldwell, where the funeral service will follow visitation at 1PM with Ernie Cornell officiating. A veteran’s graveside service will follow at Olive Cemetery conducted by the Noble County Veteran Service Organizations. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Devola Volunteer Fire Department 1286 Masonic Park Road, Marietta, Ohio, 45750, or to the Humane Society of the Ohio Valley, 90 Mount Tom Road, Marietta, Ohio, 45750. The family would like to extend special thanks to the staff at The Arbors at Marietta and to the Washington County Veterans Service Office.
