Official Obituary of
Margaret R. (Fuoss) Bates
October 28, 1934 ~ January 8, 2026 (age 91) 91 Years Old
Margaret Bates Obituary
BATES, Margaret R. - On Thursday, January 8, 2026, Margaret passed away at the Union Court Assisted Living in St. Charles with her family at her side. She was 91 years old.
Margaret is remembered for her cheerful disposition, contented heart, and steadfast devotion to her family and church. She was loved for her warmth and kindness, and throughout her long life she held firmly to her family values and faith.
Margaret was born in Thawville, Illinois, on October 28, 1934, the daughter of Henry Carl and Minnie Marie (Studt) Fuoss. She was the eighth child of a family of ten children.
Before graduating from Chesaning in 1954, Margaret rode the bus with Donald Bates, a handsome boy three years ahead of her in high school. The two started dating during his last year of high school.
While Margaret completed high school, Don joined the Air Force and began serving in the Korean War. The sweethearts wrote letters to each other every day. “Each one was the same as the last, but I enjoyed them anyway,” Don once noted.
In 1954, when Don returned home to the States, the couple married. They had their first child in 1955, whom they named Paul. Two years later, Martha arrived, followed by Donna two years after that, and ten years later, Patricia.
Margaret was a lifelong member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chesaning. She served the community as a bus driver for Chesaning Union Schools, a hall monitor, and a kitchen aid. She also devoted time to cleaning her church and was a member of Ladies Aid Chesaning.
After retirement, Margaret accompanied her husband Don as a Builder for Christ. They built churches in El Paso, Texas; White River, Arizona; and El Durango, Wisconsin, as well as the Michigan cities of Jackson, and Gladwin.
Margaret was a voracious reader and enjoyed walking. She was a member of the walking club at Union Court, and she loved nothing more than snuggling up with a good book (most often in a sweater, with a blanket and heater nearby). Other hobbies included couponing, canning, mowing the lawn and raking leaves, and playing pinochle and euchre.
Margaret was preceded in death by her husband Don; parents, Henry Carl and Minnie Marie; siblings, Tense and Don Fuoss, Frieda and Lawrence “Jiggs” Adams, Loran W. and Bertha Fuoss, Henry Carl Fuoss, Richard H. Fuoss, Stanley David Fuoss, and Mary Lu and James Wenzlick; her sons-in-law, Ricardo Longoria and Lawton Williston; and her great-grandson, Noah Inniss.
Margaret is survived by her children and their spouses: Paul and Cheryl Bates, Martha Williston and Bill Selleck, Donna and Bernard Schoch, and Patricia Longoria; her brother, Russ (Jan) Fuoss; and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Paul Michael Bates, Erin Bates, Lori and Derek Gardner and Eloise Gardner; Sarah and Mal Inniss, Bryanna Inniss, Keagan Blakemore and Courtney and Emily Schoch, Andrea Schoch, and Donato and Atearea Longoria.
Margaret’s funeral service will be 3:00 p.m. Saturday, January 17, 2026, at Misiuk Funeral Home. Pastor Paul Tessmer will officiate. Margaret’s family will be present at the funeral home to welcome family and friends from Noon until the time of the service.
Donations in memory of Margaret can be made to Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church or Zion Lutheran School. You may light a memorial candle or share a memory at misiukfuneralhome.com.
Misiuk Funeral Home
202 South Front Street
Chesaning, Michigan 48616
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