Mary Alice Bates, a resident of Wheaton for 48 years before moving to Windsor Park in Carol Stream, went to be with the Lord and Savior she faithfully served on Friday, August 21, 2015. She was 94 years old, and had pneumonia. She was born in Oberlin, Ohio to Truman D. and Tena Beach Donaldson, and grew up in Findlay, Ohio.

Mary graduated from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in 1943, with a major in Christian Education and Music. At Moody, she met Hubert R. (Hugh) Bates, and married him on June 7, 1946, following his service in the Pacific theater in World War II. They moved to Wheaton, IL, where he completed his B.A. and M.A. degrees at Wheaton College, while she began working in the Admissions Office there. She remained at the College until 1982, working for the last 9 years of her career in the President's Office. She and her husband were active members of the Wheaton Bible Church, where she served for many years in the nursery, in the Berean Sunday School Class, and sang in the Sanctuary Choir. Upon Hugh's death in 1985, she moved to Windsor Park – a "Pioneer" of the facility, becoming one of the first residents in 1986. She was an enthusiastic and active participant there, enjoying many friends and continuing a life of service to others until the last few years of her life when physical limitations curbed her mobility. She had recently moved to the Johnson Health Care Center of Windsor, where she died.

Mary Alice's parents; sister, Marilyn Donaldson Hailey; and husband, Hubert R. Bates, all predeceased her. She is survived by her daughter, Barbara Bates Alexander (Jim), and grandsons Scott Andrew Alexander (Amanda) and Ian Hugh Alexander (girlfriend Elena Barca).

A memorial service will be held on Friday, August 28 at 10:00 a.m. in the Windsor Park auditorium, 124 Windsor Park Drive, Carol Stream, with a reception following for the family to greet friends. Interment at the Wheaton Cemetery will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be directed to Moody Bible Institute (The Hubert R. Bates and Mary Alice Bates Memorial Scholarship), 820 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60610; Wheaton College , Wheaton, IL, 60187; or the Windsor Park Benevolent Care Fund.