Joan Elizabeth Bates
1952 - 2023
Joan Elizabeth Bates, of Wichita, passed away on June 24, 2023, at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, at 71.
She was born on May 23, 1952, in Damar, Kansas, to Fredrick Edward and Bertha Blanche (Meanard) Knipp. She grew up in Damar and graduated from Damar High School in 1970. On May 14, 1977, she married Linden Duwana Bates at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Damar.
Joan ran a daycare for many years. The kids were such a joy to her, and she treated them like her own. She watched them until she took her last step. She always put others before herself. Even after a long day, she would still ensure her family was cared for. She enjoyed cooking and baking in the kitchen; her cinnamon rolls were the best. She couldn’t take her eyes away even briefly because her daughters would always mess up the dough! In the evening, she loved playing on her tablet; Cookie Jam and Candy Crush games were her favorites. She also loved to search Pinterest for new things to cook and ideas to decorate and renovate the house. She enjoyed watching sports, especially her grandkids’ events, and playing bingo with her sisters on Friday nights, laughing and joking around. She was very sociable and loved to talk to other people. She loved her bed, fully loaded with pillows and blankets to keep her warm, and she loved her husband, kids, and grandkids more than words can describe.
Joan is survived by her husband, Linden Bates of Wichita; children, Jolynn Bates of Wichita, Gale Bates of Enid, Okla., Adam Bates of Wichita, Stacey Bates (Jeremy Irwin) of Wichita, and Melanie Bates (Foued Hafsouni) of Wichita; brothers, Donald Knipp, Stanley Knipp, Cletus Knipp, Marty Knipp, Dale Knipp, Larry Knipp, and Mitchell Knipp; sisters, Christine Winterburg and Paulette Mays; and five grandchildren, Gabrielle Bates, Malik Hafsouni, Beyonca Irwin, Ameer Hafsouni and Kaiser Hafsouni.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Fredrick and Bertha Knipp; brothers, Dennis Knipp, Gale Knipp, Christopher Knipp, and Paul Knipp; and sisters, Charlotte Knipp and Charlene Knipp.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at 10 a.m., at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Damar. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Damar. Visitation will be on Friday, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the funeral home in Plainville.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to St. Joseph Catholic Church and may be sent to Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 320 SW 2nd Street, Plainville, KS 67663.
