There are condolences waiting approval on Rodney's Tribute wall
Celebrating the life of Rodney S. Bateman, Jr.
Be the first to share your favorite memory, photo or story of
Rodney.
This memorial page is dedicated for family, friends and future generations to celebrate
the life of their loved one.
We ask on behalf of the family that you keep your comments uplifting and appropriate
to help all who come here to find comfort and healing.
Obituary for Rodney S. Bateman, Jr.
Mr. Rodney Swain Bateman, Jr., 79, passed away Thursday evening, September 3, 2009 at his home in Manassas, Virginia after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.
Mr. Bateman was born in the small town of Columbia in Tyrrell County, N.C. on May 7, 1930 to Rodney Swain Bateman, Sr. and Evora Matilda Parisher Bateman. He was known to his boyhood Carolina friends as "R.S." and to his Virginia friends as "Rod", but to his large family he had the honored title of "Big Daddy".
As a youth Rod was a good student, graduating from Columbia High School in 1948 as valedictorian and president of his class. He played basketball and football, and played on Columbia's undeafeted football team of 1946. In addition to school activities, there were chores at his grandfather Jim Henry Bateman's farm. He also helped his dad with dairy farming.
Rod began studies at N.C. State University until the Korean War came calling. He enlisted in the Air Force as an airborne radar mechanic and was stationed in California and Guam. After discharge from service, Rod worked at Radio Supply Company on Granby Street in Norfolk, Virginia where he met his future bride Barbara.
Rod and Barbara were married at the Talbot Park Baptist Church in Norfolk (1956) and Rod worked for the Virginian Railway Company in Norfolk. They moved to Greenville, N.C. in 1958 so that Rod could resume college studies at East Carolina University. They lived in an upstairs apartment at the veterinary hospital of Rod's uncle, Dr. Joe Bateman. Rod earned a B.A. degree in Accounting in 1960. He accepted a job with the Federal Government in Norfolk as an auditor with the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO). In 1964, the family moved to Northern Virginia as Rod advanced to Supervisory Auditor at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in Washington, D.C.
Rod and Barbara settled in Manassas, Virginia in 1968. Rod retired from the Federal Government in 1984 and worked for Electronic Data Systems and Arlington County Government before retiring permanently in 1991. Over the years, Rod has enjoyed hunting, fishing and working on cars.
Rod was preceded in death by his parents Rodney and Evora Bateman, and by his brother-in-law Giovanni B. Giglioni. He leaves behind his wife of fifty-three years, Barbara Annette Butler Marquess Bateman; four children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild; son Mark D. Bateman, his wife Paula and their two daughters Chelsea and Callie of Ledyard, CT; son Dean M. Bateman and his daughter Brandess Spence and his granddaughter Briley Spence of Starkville, MS; son Ty T. Bateman, his wife Karen and their son Jack of Great Falls, VA; and daughter Candace W. Zimmerman, her husband Joseph, and their children Samantha Whitacre, Zeke, Zoe, and Emily Zimmerman of Bluemont, VA.
He also leaves his sister Joyce Bateman Giglioni of Starkville, MS and Columbia, NC; two sisters-in-law Suzanne Marquess of Ipswich, Suffolk England, and Brenda Butler King of Mechanicsville, VA; a father-in-law Arthur Clyne Marquess Jr. of Virginia Beach, VA, and two aunts Laura Bateman Lawrence of Winston-Salem, NC and Reva Parisher Umphlett of Creswell, NC.
The family will receive friends at the Pierce Funeral Home, 9609 Center Street in Manassas, VA from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 6, 2009 where services will start at 3:00 p.m. with Pastor Dennis Griffin officiating. Graveside services will be held on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at Azalea Memorial Gardens in Columbia, NC with Reverend Frank Alexander officiating. Maitland Funeral Home of Creswell, NC will be assisting the family with services in Columbia, NC.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one's choice, or the American Parkinson Disease Association.