George N Bates M.D.

George N. Bates M.D., 94, died July 30, 2010, at Hospice of Northwest Ohio, Toledo. He was born on June 24, 1916, in Morrisville, Vermont, to Dr. George L. and Mary E. (Walsh) Bates. George spent his early youth in Morrisville before his parents and sister, Marian, move to Daytona, Florida. Following the stock market crash of 1929, George and his family returned to Morrisville where his father returned to the practice of medicine in rural Vermont. George frequently recounted stories of his father’s medical practice and vividly remembered accompanying his father in the family horse and buggy on his father’s house calls. George graduated from Peoples Academy High School in Morrisville in 1933, the University of Notre Dame in 1937, and McGill University (Montreal, Quebec) in 1942. He did his internship at Royal Victoria and St. Mary’s Hospitals in Montreal and his general surgery residency at St. Mary’s. It was in Montreal where he met and married his first wife, Louise (LeSage) Bates. Following their wedding in 1943, George and Louise moved to Toledo, where George became chief surgical resident at the then St. Vincent’s Hospital. He began his private practice of general surgery in Toledo in 1947 with noted Toledo surgeons Drs. E.J. McCormick, Warren Baird, John Czarnecki, and Frank Foss. He was a Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons and the International College of Surgeons. He served as secretary of the Academy of Medicine of Toledo and Lucas County, and was President of the former Ohio State Surgical Association as well as the Toledo Surgical Society. He was for a period the Chief of the Medical Staff of St. Vincent Medical Center and was later an active member of St. Vincent’s Advisory Board. He served as a Delegate to the American Medical Association and served as secretary, vice-president and president of the Ohio State Medical Association. During his active role with the Ohio State Medical Association, he recommended the formation of the Physicians’ Insurance Company of Ohio and became the first Chairman of its Board of Directors. After leaving the active practice of surgery George became the corporate Medical Director of Owens-Illinois, Inc., during which time he developed a number of plans and protocols for avoidance of exposure to toxic elements in the workplace, several of which are still in place today. During his entire career as a physician, George believed it to be a privilege to serve his patients. He strived to be a consummate professional in all facets of his lengthy career. Often out at public events or at restaurants in Toledo he would be greeted and thanked by his patients from years ago. George was a parishioner at The Historic Church of St. Patrick in downtown Toledo, and was formerly a parishioner at Gesu Church where he served a number of years as a lector and Eucharistic Minister. He was also a longtime member of the Toledo Club, the Lion’s Club, the Elks Club and the Lobster Club, as well as the Notre Dame Club of Toledo. He remained a Vermonter at heart and would make pilgrimages back to that state for the change of the foliage each October. Most of the rest of the fall season would be spent watching the exploits of the Notre Dame Football team, where he was a season ticket holder for more than 50 years. George was a considerate, generous and loving husband, father, step-father, brother, uncle and son. His greatest joy was his large family and he especially enjoyed family gatherings. George is survived by his wife, Florence Riley Bates, who despite multiple serious injuries and disabling illnesses of her own devoted twenty four hour loving attention to him. He is also survived by his sons Christopher (Karen) Bates M.D., (Toledo), Brian (Sherry) Bates (Denver, CO), and daughter Andrea Bates (Toledo), by daughters-in-law Anne Bates Smith (El Paso, TX) and Melanie Bates (Cincinnati, OH), step-sons Ron (Celeste) Riley (St. Paul, MN) and Robert (Deborah) Riley (Lake Forest, IL), as well as by grandchildren Judd Bates, Lisa (Kiernan) Mattson, Stephen Bates, Emma (Paul) Kitzmiller, Sarah (Dan) Gray, Jonathan Bates, Marie Bates, Griffin Bates, Erin Bates, Nora Bates, and Mary Bates, great grandchildren Hannah Mattson, and Zachary Mattson, and step-grandchildren Kate Riley, James Riley, John Riley, Connor Riley, David Riley and Justin Riley. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Marian Hart and Frances “Tattie” Bates, his first wife, Louise, and his sons George L. Bates and Philip Bates and daughters Seana Bates and Mary Bates, and step-grandchild Daniel Riley. Friends may visit at the Coyle Funeral Home; 1770 S Reynolds Rd. on Monday August 2, 2010 from 2-8 p.m. where the Rosary will be prayed at 6:30 p.m. Funeral services will begin in the mortuary on Tuesday August 3rd at 9:15. a.m. followed by the Mass of Christian Burial at The Historic Church of St. Patrick, 130 Avondale Ave., Toledo, OH 43604, at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow in Calvary Cemetery. Memorials may take the form of a contribution to The Historic Church of St. Patrick, St. Francis de Sales High School, or Hospice of Northwest Ohio. The family would also like to extend its thanks to George’s dedicated caregivers over the last few years, Sandy Klein, Chris Stanley and especially Lou Johnson, who became part of the family; their care was superb. The family would also like to thank the staffs at the University of Toledo Medical Center and the Hospice of Northwest Ohio, Toledo, for their wonderful care, which made certain that George lived out his last days in comfort.

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George N Bates M.D.

June 24, 1916 - July 30, 2010