Curtis Deon Bateman, age 72, passed away peacefully on August 22, 2023, with his beloved wife Anna by his side at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington, after recently relocating to the Puget Sound area.
The oldest of five children, Curtis was born in Murray, Utah, on February 16, 1951, to Deon Ross and Edith Mae (Jones) Bateman. He was baptized and raised in the LDS Church and had a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Curtis and his siblings Debbie (Kevin Howell), Deanne (Steve Mousley), Cindy (Paul Butterfield), and Norman (Suzanne) enjoyed an idyllic childhood that Curtis often recalled fondly. He especially enjoyed remembering his time spent "up on the dry farm" with his Grandfather, Earl Jones, and Uncle Robert "Bob" Jones. He also enjoyed sharing stories of the family's neighborhood and neighbors and his summer trips to Yellowstone with his paternal grandparents and Uncle Alan. Throughout his life, Curtis relied on the many skills he acquired during those early years and always had a farming/gardening project or two going and a trip to a national or state park wrapping up or planned.
He attended schools in West Jordan, Utah, graduating from Bingham High School in Copperton, Utah, in 1969. Curtis attended Utah Technical College in Salt Lake City, receiving an Associate's Degree as a Journeyman Carpenter. He worked as a commercial carpenter in the ceiling acoustics trade for over twenty years in Utah and New Mexico, creating many beautiful commercial structures, including government buildings, hospitals, schools, grocery stores, and apartment complexes. Years later, Curtis used his Master Carpenter skills to work for the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe's Housing Department as their Projects Manager. Curtis, his family, and friends could always count on his craftsmanship in his own home or theirs and at the family cabin in the Sierra where he had plans to retire.
Curtis also had a passion for mining. Following his career in construction, he worked for 26 years at Rawhide Gold Mine, 62 miles southeast of Fallon, Nevada. Curtis worked there as a Process Technician and then as a Process Supervisor. His knowledge of all things related to finding and turning the Nevada desert into gold took him to Alaska, where he fulfilled his dream of living in the last frontier, running a dredge and sluice box, and panning for gold in Prince William Sound, specifically Mineral Creek. Curtis spent the majority of the last five years of his life in Valdez, where he worked as an "Ice Road Trucker" for Big State and Crowley, hauling multiple clean petroleum products from the refinery to the Oliver Leavitt, an articulating tug barge that Curtis loved to go check on down at the dock at the terminus of the Alaska Pipeline.
While in Valdez, Curtis also worked for Prince William Sound College as the lead instructor for their Construction Academy and North Pacific Rim Housing Authority, passing on his expertise to his students by completing many projects, including remodeling the Administration Building for the Valdez Native Tribe and building a storage shed for their men's shelter, the Anequin House. Curtis had a keen understanding and appreciation for heavy equipment, and one of his favorite jobs was driving the water truck for A & K before moving to Alaska.
Over his life, he had many interests, hobbies, and accomplishments. He was very talented with everything he put his mind and hands to. Over the years, some of his other interests were mountain man reenactment, gunsmithing and reloading, tying flies, metal detecting, history, and building complicated things, including a wood strip canoe that won grand prize at the county fair. He liked playing the guitar, and his family enjoyed hearing him sing old cowboy love songs, his rendition of a new song, or an old favorite he liked. Throughout his life, Curtis spent many good days and nights with family and friends, riding horses, hunting, fishing, prospecting, working, or just being together, and he always had a good dog with him.
His absolute favorite accomplishment, however, was his family. Curtis married Kathy Lee Atkinson (Gee) in 1970, and together they raised their five children. Vance (Erica), Kimberly (Ed Kamensky), Kenny, Kristina (Brent Moore), and Landon.
Curtis then married Anna Lorene House in 1994, and together, they raised Anna's six children: Deana (Jay Porretta), Riana (Calvin Reynolds), Kileana Ansotegui, Tony Ansotegui (Jentry), Andy Ansotegui (Tara), and Jaymeson Davies (Roxie).
Curtis loved having a blended family with eleven children and was quick to brag about each one. All of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were truly his pride and joy, and he quietly kept up on each one. To all of them, he was affectionately called "Pa." He was also close with his nieces and nephews, especially Amanda and Jake Zamora, who, when they were very young, nicknamed him "Uncle Do."
Curtis was preceded in death last December by his mother, Mae. He is survived by his father, Deon, his wife Anna, his former wife Kathy, his eleven children, 37 grandchildren, two great-grandsons, nieces and nephews, siblings, in-laws, cousins, and friends. Curtis cherished each one of us, and we all adored him. Our love for each other will live on in our hearts and in heaven and gives us strength.
A celebration of Curtis's life will be held Saturday, September 16, at 11:00 a.m. at the Gardens in Fallon, Nevada, with an inurnment at the Fallon Cemetery. Please come and celebrate Curtis's life with us.
For those who wish to honor Curtis in some way, we ask that you spend extra time with your loved ones, dedicate a fishing trip, hunting trip, horseback ride, road trip, build a hoop house, or even plant a tree together for Curtis. If you would like to make a monetary contribution, please do so to your favorite charity or scholarship fund in his name.
Our family wishes to thank the many medical professionals who, over the years, helped Curtis have many victories over cancer and congestive heart failure, especially Dr. Angela Alfaro and his favorite Nurse, Joe Byrd, who both helped make his last five years with us shine bright.
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