Pearl Odessa Vaughan-Bates - January 5, 1932 - May 12, 2023

Pearl O Bates, 91, passed away Friday, May 12, 2023, of natural causes at her home in Boise, Idaho.
Pearl was born on January 5th, 1932 in Spray, Oregon, the daughter of Robert and Sophia Stewart. The family farmed in several small towns in Oregon until eventually settling in Vale, Oregon. Pearl attended Vale High School where she excelled in track and field. The story goes, tryouts for the boy's track team included racing Pearl. If they couldn't beat her, they didn't make the team. (The family believes this is true since she could still do a perfect cartwheel in her 50's and she carried a 180 bowling average). Pearl graduated from Vale High School in 1951 and started her career with the telephone company. She married Charles B Vaughan in 1952 and had 2 children, Chucky and Bobby. In 1960, the family moved to El Cajon, California where she continued her career with the telephone company and raised her children. Chuck and Pearl enjoyed bowling, motorcycle riding, and pinochle. In 1974, the family moved to Darby, Montana and ran a business at Shook Mountain Lodge with her brother Robert and his wife Doris. In 1977, they moved back to Oregon where Pearl restarted her career at the phone company in Ontario. After her husband Charles passed away in 1982, Pearl met and married her second husband, Arnet Bates, in 1984 and they moved to Boise, Idaho. She retired from the phone company in 1993 and went into the insurance business with Arnet. Pearl and Arnet would snowbird between Boise and Apache Junction, AZ in their motorhome and with their beloved dog, Paintbrush. Pearl enjoyed gardening year-round and was the activities director at their senior's park in Arizona. This included planning many exciting bus trips to the local casinos. Arnet and Pearl were very involved with non-profit organizations and made many charitable donations. Arnet passed away in 2015 and Pearl continued snowbirding until 2019 when she moved back to Boise permanently and lived until passing in 2023. Pearl had passions for traveling, bowling, needlework of all kinds, and of course, Bingo.
Pearl is survived by her sons, Charles Vaughan and Robert Vaughan, daughter-in-law, Liane McCabe, grandchildren Robert Tyler Vaughan and Chrissy Vaughan-Hill, and 4 great-grandchildren. Pearl was preceded in death by her parents, Robert Stewart and Sophia Odessa Higley, Stepfather, William P Higley, brothers, William Stewart, Robert Stewart, and James Stewart, first husband, Charles Vaughan, and second husband, Arnet Bates.
Services for Pearl Bates will be held on Wednesday, May 17 at 1p at the Lienkaemper Funeral Chapel in Vale, OR. Interment will follow at Valley View Cemetery in Vale.
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