Lucian "Ray" Bates

Ray was a devoted son, husband, father, uncle, cousin, neighbor & friend to many. He was known for his smile & kindness: whether it was helping out on a bill, lending a hand, making an anonymous donation, or repairing someone’s car— the generosity with his time & resources had almost no bounds.

He lived & worked in the Urich & Creighton community for 50 years until eventually relocating to be closer to family. Ray knew almost everyone in the community from his job as the local "telephone man" -- he worked 29 years for United Telephone/Sprint. Ray and his wife Judy were very involved in the community & volunteered many hours with local organizations and the Creighton Christian Church. Ray also was one of the longest-tenured volunteers for the National Weather Service and he served as the Commander of American Legion Post 371 for many years.

Upon retirement, Ray was able to reignite his love for Studebakers. He had some great stories about finding old cars in fields and even a cross-country trip with his good friend to Pahrump, NV to buy his beloved Red Studebaker truck. One of his happy places was in his pole barn under the hood of a car. Ray and Judy were also active members of both the Heart of America & the Ozark Trails Studebaker Drivers Clubs.

Ray was born in Adrian, MO on Oct. 2, 1939 and graduated from Raymore High School. He was married to the love of his life -- Judith Gregg Bates on June 5, 1964. Ray enlisted & was in the Army and then reserves for a total of six years -- he was proud of his work as part of the Nike Hercules Missile Defense System and was on duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. He commented on multiple occasions that it was one of the scariest times of his life. Most of his tenure in the Army was based in Rhode Island where he and Judy made their first home. They both fell in love with New England and made life-long friends there. Weekends were for exploring— money was tight but they didn't let that slow them down. They were able to use USO tickets to see shows in NYC, took roadtrips to explore the area and also developed a love for antiques and authentic italian food.

Ray and Judy eventually moved back to the midwest, built their house and started a family. Twenty one years ago, just after Judy's passing Ray became "Papa" to grandchildren William and then Tenneson Gardenhire. Grandson Elias Bates would soon follow & Ray was thrilled to share the same birthday with him. Ray was preceded in death by his parents, Lucian Ballard "Pete" & Pearl Geneva Bates & wife Judy. His survivors are daughter Kim & husband Gary D., Lee's Summit, MO; son Gregg of Springfield, MO; three grandchildren & a host of family and close friends.

In lieu of flowers:

• - Fight Dirty Foundation (venmo: @fightdirty18, number code= 6283 | PayPal: @fightdirty18 | Check: Fight Dirty Foundation, 833 SW Lemans Ln, Box 235, Lees Summit MO 64082
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• - Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks (online: bcfo.org | check: 620 W. Republic Rd. Ste 107, Springfield, MO 65807)
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• - Project Happiness LSMO (venmo: @Project_Happiness_LSMO | check: 1020 NE Bristol Drive, Lees Summit MO 64086. | online: projecthappinessLSMO.org)
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Cremation with a celebration of life service will be held 10:00 a.m. Saturday, August 2, 2025 at Dickey Funeral Home, Harrisonville, Missouri.

Visitation will be held 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Friday, August 1, 2025 at Dickey Funeral Home, Harrisonville, Missouri.