Yvonne Bates

Moore

Yvonne Moore Bates, also known as Grandma, Force of Nature, Iron Will, Two Step Queen and Survivor. She was born in the middle of the Dust Bowl on a farm in Oklahoma. Through hard work and determination Yvonne moved on from farm life to surviving in the city while raising her two sons. After graduating from Amber High School in 1952, she worked in hospitals and doctor’s offices as a nurse having received part of her training at OBU. Later in life, she operated Yvonne’s Day Care out of her home where she cared for many children for over ten years. Yvonne loved all “her kids” and had a special gift with children and caretaking.

Yvonne worked hard all her life and was proud that she had a good family, many close friends and owned her home. She never met a stranger and adopted many dear friends into her large family even insisting everyone call and consider her their Grandma. Yvonne had a zest for life and was adventurous always willing to take a day trip to Arkansas, Kansas or Pawhuska, go camping with her family or travel across the US to see new sights with friends.

Yvonne was a gifted gardener. In her words, “She loved to dig in the dirt.” She was known for the colorful flowers that filled her yard every year.

She loved all her family pets. Special loves of her life were Rocky, Spike, Lassie, Skipper, the Ole Lady, and Sadie; she even made friends with an ornery cat named Joe.

Yvonne enjoyed the fact that both her sons rode Harley’s and she was always thrilled when she got to go for a ride on the back of Lloyd’s bike.

Another passion of hers was her volunteering at the Dale Graham Veteran’s Foundation. This wonderful group of staff and volunteers became a second family to Yvonne. And, she enjoyed her role at the Center managing the mail team. She supervised this work with the

devotion and focus she displayed all her life. Her focus was always on helping veterans even when it was telling her co-workers to “get back to work”. Due to her years of devoted volunteerism, she was recognized by President Joe Biden in 2024 with a Lifetime Achievement Award. She worked until the last week of her life.

Yvonne was born on November 25, 1934 as Yvonne Elizabeth Cox to Frank and Ettie Cox of Amber, Oklahoma. She had six older siblings: Howard, Chester, Frank, Margaret, Ruth and Jack. Yvonne was preceded in death by her parents, siblings and two beloved husbands – Dexter Moore and Noale N. Bates. Yvonne passed away on

November 7, 2026 after a brief illness.

She is survived by her two sons: William (Flood) Lloyd Collins and Thomas Frank Collins with wife Nonna; five grandchildren: William (Willie) Carl Collins with wife Kate, William (Junior) Lloyd Collins with Estella, Shayne Turner with husband Jason, Jennifer Sherfield with husband John and Melissa Del Rosario with husband Greg; great grandchildren: Brooks, Sullivan, Cecilia Collins and Oche Wright, Jennifer, Katie and Ashley Collins, Dominic and Jordyn Turner, Ethan Sherfield, Elijah Sherfield with wife Celena, Seth Sherfield with wife Ally, Olivia Kiel and Kayden Del Rosario; great grandchildren: Roman, Mason, and Ashlyn (children of Katie Collins), Naomi (daughter of Jennifer Collins), and Ember (daughter of Seth and Ali Sherfield) and twins EJ and Liliana (son and daughter of Elijah Sherfield). Her honorary family is comprised of daughtersLisa Portwood, Tandra Baldwin and son, Kelvin Winters, granddaughters Paige Portwood-Finneran (husband Ian and great grandsons Odin and Ewan Finneran), Sarah Getto and grandsons Scott Hannigan and his family and Braden and Landon Brumley.