Anna Louise Bates

Anna Louise Bates, 79, died July 23, 2008, at Ruthie’s Place assisted living in Wasilla due to natural causes. Services will be held at a later date.

Bates was born April 2, 1929 in New Mexico and moved to Florida in 1980 with her husband, Charlie. She graduated high school in 1947 and continued her education, working as a dental assistant for 13 years in New Mexico while her son Tommy served in Vietnam.

She came to Alaska in 2004, settling in Wasilla, where she was a member of the Big Lake Baptist Church and won blue ribbons at the Alaska State Fair for her artwork. She enjoyed traveling, drawing, painting and dancing.

“She never knew a stranger and was the world’s perfect mother-in-law,” her family wrote. “She was an amazing and loving grandmother who lived life to the fullest.”

Bates is survived by her son and daughter-in-law Tommy and Caroline Bates of Wasilla; granddaughters and their husbands Anna and Jason Irizarry of Wasilla and Dorothy and Tom Stamper of Aztec, N.M.; grandson and wife Robert and Linda Bates of Las Cruces, N.M.; great-grandsons J.T. Irizarry of Wasilla, T.J. and Daniel Stamper of Aztec and Jimmy and Josh Leseman of Wasilla ; great-granddaughters Valerie Irizarry of Wasilla and Rae’mi Starr of Wasilla; sisters Betty Randall, Ida Woods and Jody Pellot of Albuquerque, N.M.; grandchildren Matt and Jackie Leseman of Wasilla and Larry Starr of Wasilla; niece Billie-Dee Lattanza of Albuquerque; many more loving nieces and nephews of Albuquerque and Altha, Fla.; and many surrogate grandchildren and great-grandchildren all over the United States.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Charlie Bates.

Her ashes will be placed in Florida, New Mexico as well as Alaska.

Valley Funeral Homes & Crematory of Wasilla and Palmer is assisting the family.