Butte County, California Death records Kermit Reno Bates Peoria (Illinois) Journal Star, July 8, 1997, Page: D6 BROWNING - Kermit Reno Bates, 83, of Chico, Calif., formerly of Browning, (IL) died Thursday, July 3, 1997, at Enloe Hospital in Chico. Born June 6, 1914, in Browning to Jonathan and Elva Bollinger Bates, he married Mary Ercolini on Feb. 14, 1940, in San Francisco. She survives. Also surviving are one son, John of Reno, Nev.; two daughters, Barbara Stevens and Deborah White, both of Chico; two sisters, Garnet Briney of Morton and Betty Esther of Rushville; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. One sister preceded him in death. He served in the Marine Corps for six years and later served in the Army Air Forces, where he was a nose gunner on a B-24. He worked for Standard Oil in San Francisco. He later was a toll collector for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. He then moved to Chico, where he worked for the State Board of Equalization for 32 years. He was a member of First Christian Church in Chico. A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. today at his church. Burial will be in Chico Cemetery, where military rites will be conducted. Newton-Bracewell-Chico Funeral Home in Chico is in charge of arrangements. [Submitted by Sara Hemp]     Back to Butte County Home page   ©2008 Genealogy Trails