It is with hearts full of both sorrow and gratitude that our family shares the passing of our beloved brother, Horace Ulysses Bates — “Horse” to nearly everyone who knew him. He entered eternal rest on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Lynchburg, just eight days after celebrating his 67th birthday.

If you knew Horace, you knew his smile. You knew that no matter how he felt, the answer was always “I’m doing fine.” And you probably knew what it was to ride somewhere with him, because he never let anybody go without a way to get where they needed to be.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

— 2 Timothy 4:7

— The Bates Family

Horace was born July 21, 1959, the second of four children born to the late Howson F. Bates, Sr. and Lula Emma Callands Bates. He was raised in the close-knit community of Aspen in Charlotte County, just outside Brookneal, on the family’s tobacco and dairy farm, and was a 1979 graduate of Randolph-Henry High School. At an early age he confessed Christ and united with Aspen Hill Baptist Church, and he also worshiped faithfully at Mt. Airy Baptist Church, the church home of his mother and his sisters.

He served the Campbell County school system as a bus driver and custodian at Brookneal Elementary School, worked many years at Dan River, Inc. until the plant closed in 2006, and later returned to the schools, serving at Gladys and Rustburg elementary schools and the Jesus Center before devoting himself full time to his landscaping business. He was a hard worker to his core, and he hired his nephews to work alongside him — to this day they credit their Uncle Horse with teaching them what they know about business.

He leaves to cherish his memory his elder brother, Howson F. Bates, Jr.; his sisters, Lesia Bates Moss and Lorisa Bates; his aunts, Ella Moore (David) and Irise Gilliam Bates, widow of his father’s twin brother, Howard; his nephews, Lamont Bates, Robert Bates, and Michael Callan Moss; his nieces, Arlene Bates and Shanika Bates; his cherished cousins, Jackie Callands and Geneva Jones (Gerald); his devoted friends, John Scott, JT Hancock, Kenny Johnson, and Rev. Michael Davis, who talked with him, drove him to appointments, and prayed with him daily; and a host of other cousins, friends, and former co-workers with whom he faithfully kept in touch through the years.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to his caregivers — Sean Elam, Venus Elam, Charmaine Elam, Delores Price, and Evelyn Bates — for the tenderness and dignity with which they cared for Horace. In addition, we are deeply grateful to Rev. Larry Patterson, Mt. Airy Baptist Church, and Rev. Dr. Maurice Finney, Aspen Hill Baptist Church, for their spiritual guidance and continued support.

We will miss his smile and his jolly disposition, but both will remain forever in our hearts.

In Lieu of Flowers

For more than fifteen years, Horace managed diabetes in a part of Virginia where consistent care and affordable medication are hard to come by, and in time the disease affected his kidneys as well. In his memory, our family asks that gifts be directed to two organizations that stand in that gap for patients like him.

The Free Clinic of Central Virginia provides exactly what so many patients need most — free medical care, chronic disease management, and an on-site pharmacy — for uninsured and underinsured residents of Campbell County and the surrounding communities, at no cost to the patient.

The American Kidney Fund helps people living with kidney disease meet the costs that stand between them and their treatment, including help with health insurance premiums, transportation to dialysis, prescription assistance, and emergency grants.

Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Horace Ulysses Bates to either or both of the following:

The Free Clinic of Central Virginia
1016 Main Street • Lynchburg, Virginia 24504
(434) 847-5866
https://freeclinicofcentralvirginia-bloom.kindful.com

The American Kidney Fund
11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300 • Rockville, Maryland 20852
(800) 638-8299
https://www.kidneyfund.org/tribute-wall