Wanda Lois (Hudson) Bates
Wanda Lois (Hudson), 81, of Waurika, Oklahoma, passed from this life Wednesday, July 6, 2016, surrounded by her four children. She was born February 22, 1935, in Bugscuffle, Texas, southwest of Bowie, Texas, to Date Aften and Mary Jane (Cowley) Hudson.
Wanda was the only child of Preacher Date and Mary Hudson. She began singing in churches at a young age. Her Dad built her a platform and would carry it for her to Revivals and Camp Meetings. She married Darvin Ray Bates at the age of 18 on August 7, 1953, in Montague County, Texas. They moved to Ft Worth, Texas, where she worked at a department store downtown. The money she made was used for date nights with the love of her life. She was a Pastor's wife and worked alongside Darvin in the restaurant business, greeting every customer with a smile and appreciation.
She was preceded in death by her husband Darvin Bates, and her parents Date and Mary Hudson.
Survivors include: children - Garland Bates and his wife Deedee, Rhonda and her husband Larry Oyster, Tim Bates and his wife Lori, and Rebekah and her husband Tom Chappel; grandchildren - April and her husband Greg Warnasch, Raeanne and her husband Daniel Kent, Cassie Bates, Chris McAfee and his wife Brenda, Brandon McAfee and his wife Brandi, Tonya and her husband Chris Fuller, Darvin McAfee and his wife LeAnna, George Oyster and his wife Christy, Misty and her husband Mike Teakell, Jason Bates, Amy and her husband Cody Johnson, Sara and her husband Sam Stevens, Shi-Anne and her husband Josh Spencer, Rodney Duran and his wife Vanessa, Ryan Barnes and his wife Cara, and Michael Date Barnes; step-grandchildren Ben and Rayce Chappel; and great-grandchildren - Hagen, Logan, Hunter, Ryder, Gracie, Chloe, Charlie, Kylee, Hayden, Kaylee, Justice, Jasmine, Magnolia, Darvin, Ivan, Logan, Carter, Garrett, Michaela, Mason, Bailey, Hope, Ethon, Braydon, Colton, Olivia, Preslee, Caydon, Laynie, Jaxon, Caynon, Alyssa, Rodney Jr., Chris, Kaylee, Dallas, Jared, Bentley, and Liam.
Funeral services will be at 2:00 PM, Saturday, July 9, 2016, at the First United Methodist Church in Waurika with Bro. Mayfield, Mike Bates, and Dow Pannell officiating. Burial will be in the Waurika Cemetery under the direction of Dudley Funeral Home of Waurika. Visitation will be at the Dudley Funeral Home Chapel in Waurika on Friday from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM with the family receiving visitors from 6:00 to 8:00 PM and 9:00 AM to Noon Saturday. Pallbearers will be Chris McAfee, Jason Bates, Rodney Duran (who will be unable to attend as he is deployed with the U.S. Navy), Brandon McAfee, Darvin McAfee, Ryan Barnes, Michael Barnes and George Oyster. Honorary pallbearers will be the great-grandsons.