Grace Elizabeth Bates

Grace Elizabeth Bates, 84, of Charleston, SC, passed away on Saturday, February 8, 2025.

Born on February 20, 1940, in Savannah, GA, Grace was the daughter of the late Dorothy Geiger Bates and the late Kenneth Ewer Bates.

Grace graduated from Chicora High School in 1958. She attended the College of Charleston and was a member of Phi Mu Sorority. In 1963, Grace graduated from MUSC School of Cytotechnology, where she was a member of the American Society for Cytotechnology. Before attending college, Grace worked at Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph. After college, she worked at MUSC in the Cytotechnology field. She was very proud of her work reading slides and identifying abnormalities in cells. She excelled and received numerous Letters of Appreciation and Employee of the Month awards. Grace continued her work for the Department of the Navy at the Naval Hospital Charleston until she retired. While there, Grace also received many Letters of Appreciation, a Meritorious Civilian Service Award, many Certificate of Commendation for Outstanding Performance, and the Department of the Navy Length of Service award. Grace was a member of St. George’s Episcopal Church. She answered the call of service when she agreed to give a fellow parishioner a ride to church on Sunday. For over five years, she faithfully fulfilled the call in what became a lasting friendship. Grace was once very active in St. Peters Episcopal Church and a founding member of West Shore. She served as Senior Warden at both churches. As a member of West Shore Church and the Christian Medical Corp, she went to Honduras to participate in Habitat for Humanity. As a member of the Charleston Ski Club, she enjoyed the ski trips and the lasting friendships she had. Grace loved to travel and traveled extensively with her good friend, Teresa, and her cousin, Ann. Her travels took her all over the world. Grace became interested in family history and genealogy. During her travels, she often went to sites to do research for her Bates, Geiger, Blanton and Ewers families. She was passionate about the research and was able to gather much information. She often talked about ancestors as if she knew them personally.

 Grace is survived by her Godchild, Fredrick Blanton Mixson and his first cousins and their families: Eugene Wilson Blanton, Ann Blanton Mixson, Mary Louise Blanton Seyle, John Richard Wilson, Linda Wilson Ware, Edward Geiger Jr., Bruce Geiger, Wayne Geiger, Alexis Geiger Smith, Harriet Priscilla Sammons, Virginia Lee Geiger and Robert Hugh Geiger, Jr. The family thanks the staff of Wellmore for their care and concern to make Grace feel at home and to Kim Elliott Lesemann, Carolyn Seyle, Cindy Mixson and Stephen Blanton for their loving care.

The family will receive friends on Monday, February 17, 2025, from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM, one hour prior to the service at 11:00 AM, at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 9110 Dorchester Road, Summerville, SC 29485. Burial will follow at Live Oak Memorial Gardens, 3093 Ashley River Road, Charleston, SC 29414. Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at mcalister-smith.com/.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to McAlister-Smith Funeral and Cremation, 2501 Bees Ferry Rd, Charleston, SC 29414, (843) 722-8371.