Thomas Franklin Bates

Thomas Franklin Bates was born September 9, 1931 and passed away January 5, 2025 at The Margaret T. Morris Center surrounded by his family.

Tom was born in Lansing, Michigan to Thomas Francis Bates and Marie Rollenhagen Bates. He graduated from JW Sexton High School in 1949. While there he met his future wife Joan Furlong, who he married in 1952 at Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Lansing.

Tom worked for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources as a fire officer until he moved to Prescott in 1960 and went to work for the US Forest Service as a fire management officer. Tom retired after 20 years with the agency. His kids still remember watching reel to reel fire movies and riding on the 4th of July floats!

Tom was a great dad and spent lots of time with his kids in the woods. He fostered a love of the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and hiking, in all of them. They remember the fun times going to the lookout tower and a family Forest Service parties in Groom Creek. 

Tom was a very hard worker, he needed to be busy. He and Joan loved to remodel old houses together, he was a master wallpaper hanger. Tom could fix just about anything, and he needed to with some of the properties they purchased. One still had the pump in the kitchen sink and no running water or plumbing at all. They were such a great team!

Tom and Joan spent their retirement years between Michigan and Prescott. They really loved the Great Lakes region and all the maritime history.

Tom was an active member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Parish all his years in Prescott.

He is survived by his wife Joannie, and 6 children, Patrick (Sally), Joseph (Marie), Matthew (Becky), Janie (Kevin), Thomas (Marina) and Katherine, sister-in-law Rose Roche; along with many amazing grandchildren and great grandchildren as well as special nieces and nephews in Michigan, Las Vegas and Wisconsin. He was proceeded in death by his parents, and his only sister Barbara Bates Boehler and her husband Paul Boehler.

Tom’s funeral service will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 150 Fleury St., Prescott, AZ on Wednesday, January 21st at 10:30 am with a Rosary preceding at 10:00 am.