Frank D. Bates, Md

Dr. Frank D. Bates, died in his home, surrounded by family, on May 23, 2011 in Center Sandwich, New Hampshire, at age 85 of chronic lung disease. He was a retired orthopedic surgeon, who remarried Elizabeth (Lib) Crooker Bates after the death of Helen Hermes Bates. Dr. Bates was the father of Sarah, Gretchen, and Chris Bates, and the brother of Edgar A. Bates. He was also a grandfather, a stepfather, and the attentive caretaker of an array of gardens featuring native and exotic flowers. He performed classical and jazz music on flute.
Dr. Bates was born at home in 1925 in Delmar N.Y. He graduated from Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York in 1942, matriculated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1948. He was an instructor in orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School from 1957 - 1982.
He served as a captain in the US Army Medical Corps from 1953 - 1955, with service in Korea, earning a bronze star. He completed residencies at VA hospitals in Tennessee and Arkansas, and at Boston Children's Hospital.
Dr. Bates' orthopedic practice included appointments at a number of Boston area hospitals, including the Winchester Hospital, where he was chief of orthopedics from 1970 - 1975. He moved to New Hampshire and continued his orthopedic practice at Huggins Hospital in Wolfeboro from 1983 to 1987. After he retired in 1987, he served from 1987 - 2003 on the Board of Trustees of Huggins Hospital, on its Executive and Finance Committees and as Chairman of the Board. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the Sugar Hill Retirement Community from 1991 - 2003.
He was active during retirement, serving on the Conservation Commission in the town of Sandwich, on the Board of Trustees at the Benz Center, on the Board of Deacons and in the choir of the Federated Church of Sandwich, and as treasurer of the Bearcamp Valley Garden Club.
He was an outdoor enthusiast, climbing many of New Hampshire's rugged mountains with the Over the Hill Hikers, and enjoying marathon camping trips across the US and Canada with Lib in their unpretentious, 1989 Chevy van; trips which he documented with his vivid photography.Memorials:It is suggested that contributions in his name be sent to the Federated Church of Sandwich or to the Hospice of Southern Carroll County.Service:A memorial service will be held at the Baptist Meeting House in Center Sandwich, New Hampshire on Saturday, May 28 at 2:00 p.m. with a reception following at the home of Lib and Frank.