Delbert Arthur “Art” Bateson, 79, of Clinton, passed away at 5:48 a.m. Friday (Nov. 18, 2016), at Hickory Point Christian Village, Forsyth.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Calvert Funeral Home, Clinton, with Jim Kilson officiating. Burial will follow at Oak Park Cemetery, Clinton, with military honors. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
Memorials may be directed to Lane Christian Church or Amvets.
Art was born Feb. 6, 1937, in Clinton, the son of C.W. and Aldora Funk Bateson. He married Beverly Jane Isaac on April 6, 1962, in Clinton. She passed away on Sept. 29, 2013.
Survivors include his children, Pam (Alan) Coppenbarger, Clinton; Brenda Griffin, Clinton; and Darrin (Sara) Bateson, Clinton; six grandchildren, Toni (Scott) Richardson, Forsyth; Seth and Tara Coppenbarger, Clinton; Hannah (Matt) Bell, Gibson City; and Libby and Ella Bateson, Clinton; one great-granddaughter, Lainey Kay Richardson, Forsyth; and two sisters, Sharon (Ronnie) Gaddis, Mount Zion, and Beverly Reeser, Allen, Texas.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Carol Jean Vaccaro.
Art was a Clinton Community High School graduate, Class of 1956. He spent four years in the U.S. Air Force from 1957 to 1961 as a B-52 bomber mechanic in the strategic air command. After 43 years of service to the Illinois Central Railroad in the bridge and building department, he retired as a foreman.
Art enjoyed fishing, horseshoe pitching, watching westerns on TV, and crossword puzzles, and was an L.A. Dodgers and Boston Celtics fan. He was a member of the Clinton Amvets and Lane Christian Church, volunteering for the backpack program at the church.
