Carolyn Ruth Bates

Carolyn Ruth Rainey Bates (73) of Easley, SC, went to be in the arms of her Lord and Savior on January 25, 2023. Carolyn was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on February 10, 1949. Carolyn was a loving daughter, sister, mother, and grandmother who loved her family more than anything. She was instilled with great Godly values by her wonderful parents and those values are what made her the precious woman she was. She graduated from Holt High School in 1967 and went on to attend Southern Wesleyan University before starting a career in the medical field. Carolyn retired from Baptist Easley Hospital where she made many lifelong friends. A talented musician, Carolyn played in the Holt High School Marching Band, where she played the Clarinet and enjoyed playing the piano and organ in her church. She also enjoyed playing many sports growing up, but her favorites in later years had to be watching Alabama Football and Golf. She also enjoyed spending time with her family, traveling, and being a devoted Mother and Grandmother.
Carolyn is predeceased by her parents, Stanley Forrester and Inez Owen Rainey (Cottondale Alabama), and grandson, Benjamin Cain Durham Jr. (Easley, SC). She’s is survived by her children, Lena Ann Durham and Henry Earle Bates II (both of Easley, SC), and grandchildren, William Jacob Durham, Simon Jeffery Talemwa Bates, and Henry Stanley Bates.
Receiving of Friends will be held at Pickens View Wesleyan on Sunday, January 29 from 2-3 PM, with the Funeral following afterwards. The family has requested in lieu of flowers please make a donation in Carolyn’s memory to the Pickens County Meals on Wheels at 349 Edgemont Ave. Liberty, SC 29657.