John William “Bill” Bateman, 94, of Arlington, Virginia and Whittier, California passed away on March 14, 2020 after a brief illness.
Born in Washington Court House, Ohio on November 1, 1925, he moved to Whittier in 1933 with his aunt, Marie Bateman Stubbs, and her husband Albion, where they raised him. He graduated from Whittier High School with the Class of 1943, and shortly thereafter joined the U.S. Navy. After attending radar school in Hawaii, he saw combat in the Pacific theater during World War II. With the outbreak of hostilities on the Korean peninsula, Bill, then a Navy reservist, was called up to serve aboard ships providing combat support during the Korean conflict.
Following his military service, Bill built a career in the automotive parts industry in Los Angeles, representing various manufacturers’ product lines, and he retired as president of Tappet Sales, Inc. in 1984, a company he co-founded.
Introduced by mutual friends, Bill married another Whittier resident, Glenus Redman Bateman, in 1948 and they settled and raised two sons there. They were long-time members of First Friends Church.
For the past 28 years, Bill principally resided in Arlington, Virginia so he and his wife could be near their granddaughters. It was one of their greatest joys to be part of their granddaughters’ daily lives and to watch them grow. Bill will be fondly remembered for his generous and warm personality, and the kindness he extended to those he met. He was preceded in death by his wife of 68 years, who passed in 2017. He is survived by sons, John and Paul (Marguerite) and three granddaughters, Ellen, Nancy, and Greer.
Bill will be interred next to his wife at Rose Hills Cemetery in Whittier. Funeral services will be private.
