Bruce E. Bates
Bruce E. Bates
Business Owner And
Navy Veteran Enjoyed Fishing
Bruce E. Bates, 74, died October 2 at his home in Chatham, Mass. He was the husband of Patricia A. (Pennell) Bates for 54 years.
Mr Bates was born in New York City and raised in Longmeadow, Mass. He graduated from Avon Old Farms Preparatory School in Avon in 1950, and served four years in the Navy during the Korean conflict. After his discharge in 1954, he and his family relocated to Connecticut, where he began a career in the folding carton industry. He worked for firms serving the Northeast, including Curtis Packaging of Newtown, before founding his own company, Custom Carton, Inc of Branford, in 1968.
Besides his wife, survivors include three daughters, Linda Bates of Pomfret Center, Susan Tierney of Guilford, and Catherine Reeves of Summerville, S.C. All of the women graduated from Newtown High School. A sister, Pamela Richards of Newburyport, Mass.; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandson also survive Mr Bates.
Mr Bates retired to Chatham in 1995, where his family had spent time since the late 1950s. He enjoyed gardening and travel, but his foremost hobby was fishing on Cape Cod and in Maine. He especially enjoyed fishing and boating with his grandchildren.
A memorial service was held October 6 at the First Congregational Church of Chatham. Burial was private.
Memorial donations may be made to the Maine Wilderness Watershed Trust, PO Box 5660, Augusta ME 04332-5660.
The Newtown Bee       October 13, 2006