WESTERLO — Ruth Lucille Bates, a hard-working animal lover who challenged expectations, died on Thursday, March 10, 2022. She was 89. 

Ms. Bates was born on May 16, 1932, and raised in Westerlo, which she was “darn proud of,” her family wrote in a tribute. She was exceedingly close to her parents, talking about her love for them up to her final days, her great-granddaughter Angelica Flores said. 

As an adult, Ms. Bates worked various odd-jobs, most of which involved some sort of physical labor. “The harder the job, the more she wanted it,” her family wrote.

“She just loved doing hard things,” Ms. Flores said. “If a woman wasn’t supposed to do it, she wanted to do it. And when she could, she absolutely loved it.”

Her last job was at the Westerlo transfer station, but her proudest, Ms. Flores said, was as a grave-digger for Hannacroix Rural Cemetery, in her cherished hometown. Ms. Flores said that her great-grandmother would bring her dog, Cocoa, who would lounge around as Ms. Bates toiled. 

“You don’t see too many little old ladies digging a grave, but she loved that job,” Ms. Flores said. 

When she wasn’t working, Ms. Bates enjoyed watching Steve Caparizzo’s Pet Connection, on News10; playing Chinese checkers; and putting together jigsaw puzzles. 

“She was pretty simple,” Ms. Flores said. 

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t given to adventures, even in her advanced age. Ms. Flores said that her favorite memory of her great-grandmother was when the family brought her to Old Orchard Beach, in Maine, when she was in her mid-80s. It was Ms. Bates’s first time seeing the ocean. 

“She was in the sand with her little walker,” Ms. Flores said. “That’s my favorite memory because she was so excited. She had never seen anything like that before.”

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Ruth Lucille Bates is survived by her brother, Robert Beckmann; by her daughter, Robin Bashwinger; and by her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend her graveside service on Saturday, March 26, at 11 a.m. in the Westerlo Rural Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Dormansville United Methodist Church, Post Office Box 162, Westerlo, NY 12193, or to the Mohawk-Hudson Humane Society, 3 Oakland Avenue, Menands, NY 12204.

Memorial messages may be left at altamontenterprise.com/milestones

— Noah Zweifel

Family contact is April Bashwinger, grand-daughter, 518-491-2368.