Robert E. Bates: constant creator, self-taught artist

"He understood design and how things went together," recalled Michael Bates, one of his three sons. "He was very experimental, imaginative and creative."

Robert Eugene Bates died Thursday after a long illness. He was 79. A funeral will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Holy Family Catholic Church in Mt. Sterling, Ill.

Born Aug. 23, 1930, in Chicago, Mr. Bates grew up an only child, though it didn't seem that way to his cousin, Mary Margaret Bullard. With just two years between their births, the cousins were inseparable.

"He was more like my brother and my best friend," Mrs. Bullard said.

Mr. Bates eventually left the state to study photography at The Progressive School of Photography in New Haven, Conn.

Later he returned to Mt. Sterling with his wife, the late Bernita Kaehlert. He ran a small photography studio, shooting weddings and portraits, Mrs. Bullard said.

"He was very proficient, but in a small town, you can't make a living at it," she recalled.

The couple moved to Florida in the early 1950s to help his parents with a Dairy Queen franchise, but Mr. Bates soon set his sights on a career in industrial design. He took a few courses at a community college, but mostly learned on the job. While in Florida, he worked for a company that designed such objects as locks on sliding glass doors, his sons said.

Mr. Bates moved his family to Atlanta in the late 1960s for a new job, which soon led to a stint with an ornamental iron design company in Tucker, Michael Bates said.

Eventually he found a new passion in designing custom lighting fixtures for residential and commercial use.

"As far as business goes, that was his forte," Michael Bates recalled.

Many of his custom chandeliers still hang in his home, his son said.

Family members say the heart attack Mr. bates suffered when he was 49 changed his outlook on life. Then living in Philadelphia, Mr. Bates heard doctors say he had a 5 percent chance of survival.

"Before his heart attack, he'd fly off the handle somewhat easily. But after, he turned into the sweetest, most precious man," said his daughter-in-law Barbara Bates, wife of his son, Rodney. "His whole attitude changed and he started really appreciating life."

After returning to Atlanta, Mr. Bates was unable to work full-time because of his compromised heart, but he did not slow down. He returned to photography, studying the Ansel Adams Zone System, and displayed his work in various library exhibitions throughout Atlanta, family members said.

He made wine, complete with his own labels, from the crawl space in his home. He built a dark room and sound studio for his artistic pursuits, and fell in love with French cooking.

"He truly was a jack of all trades and master of several," Robert Bates said. "It was always one [project] after another, much to my mother's chagrin."

His cousin, Mrs. Bullard, who still lives in Mt. Sterling, relished visiting him in Atlanta. She said they would go out for Chinese food and reminisce.

"He made life interesting, and I'm going to miss him," she said.

Additional survivors include five grandchildren and another cousin.