Bob Bateman

  On Saturday afternoon, Sept. 12, 2015, Bob Bateman, age 71, unexpectedly went home to be with his Lord and Savior. He had spent the afternoon watching his grandson’s football game at Lynden High School. Attending his grandchildren’s activities was one of his favorite things to do.
  Bob had been a seventh grade basketball and baseball coach for 50 years, finally retiring from coaching basketball last year. He also served as an AWANA leader and director for 20 years, taught Sunday school for about three years and worked as a volunteer in both Sumas Elementary School and Everson Elementary School. He taught the afterschool PACE Program science class. He was a natural-born teacher.
  Bob was born on Sept. 8, 1944, in Chicago to Homer and Helene (Gryczabyz) Bateman. After high school, he attended Valparaiso College and then was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was stationed at Fort Lewis where he served in the Army’s Nuclear Weapons Division during the Vietnam War. After his discharge from the Army, Bob moved from Chicago to Anacortes. While in Anacortes, he established Custom Craft, a residential building contracting company. His company was successful and he started a couple of side businesses (selling windows etc.), but his personal life was empty. He placed an ad in the personals section, Meet A Mate, of the Little Nickel newspaper. He received a response from one Cynthia Evans of Everson. After dating for a short time, they were married on July 14, 1979. Cynthia had two children from an earlier marriage; together they had another son and then adopted one more son and a daughter. They sold Bob’s house in Anacortes and he moved to Everson. In 1983, they opened their first real estate and property management business, Guideline Properties.
  After moving to Everson, Bob recruited a select basketball league for seventh grade boys called Youth in Action. He coached those teams for several years, taking them to tournaments in Florida and performances at the Seattle Supersonics basketball game halftimes. Eventually, he gave up the traveling teams and changed the directions and goal of Youth in Action itself. He recruited coaches for teams for boys in the second through fifth grades. Through Youth in Action, he taught these men how to be coaches for 25 years.
  Bob was a member of Grace Baptist Fellowship of Lynden and former longtime member of Christ Fellowship of Everson.
  Bob is survived by Cynthia, his beloved wife of 36 years; children Jeannie Evans, Wayne (Melissa) Evans, Brian (Laura) Davidson, Nichole (Matt) Baughn and Matthew (Brea) Bateman; 15 grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
  He was preceded in death by his parents and his only sister.
  A memorial service will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 21, 2015, in Christ Fellowship, 1208 E. Main St., Everson, with Pastor Delaine Bailey officiating.
  Memorial contributions in Bob’s name may be sent to Grace Baptist Fellowship, AWANA program, 338 N. Park St., Lynden, WA 98264.
  You are invited to share your condolences and memories in the online guestbook at www.gilliesfuneralhome.com.
  Arrangements are entrusted to Gillies Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Lynden.