Phyllis Monnie Bates

Phyllis "Monnie" Bates of Pass Christian, MS passed victoriously into the loving arms of her Heavenly Father on November 12, 2016. Monnie was a dance instructor at Arthur Murray Studios in Kalamazoo MI where she met her future husband. As a devoted mother, her greatest joys were her three daughters who were each her favorite. She was an avid bridge player, president of the PTA along with other school activities. She was a bookkeeper for several construction companies and her local church. Monnie worked as a lab technician and office manager at Alcan Cable where she retired after nineteen years. She was preceded in death by her parents Gale and Edna Johnson, her daughter Lori Bates Cook (Paul) and her grandson Charles J. Devlin. She is survived by her loving husband of sixty-two years Charles K. Bates; her two daughters, Dana Bates Ford (Sam), and Gale Bates Devlin (Bruce), six grandchildren Jason Smith (Yvonne), Austin Schnitzlein, Jennifer Devlin Mansfield, Sondra Devlin McCaskill (William), James Jacobs II (Kyla) and Sarah Jacobs Cowart (Joseph); eleven great-grandchildren; and one great great-granddaughter; two sisters, Nancy Sokolowski (Ray) and Pamela Tabor; and numerous nieces and nephews. The funeral service will be on Thursday, November 17, 2016 at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home, 1726 15th St. Gulfport, MS. Viewing will begin at 1:00 with service following at 2:00 directed by Rev. Herbert Beasley. Interment will be in Live Oak Cemetery, Pass Christian.