Coach James Bryan Yates' Obituary
Funeral Service for Coach James Bryan Yates, 87, of New Site, Alabama, will be Saturday, December 8, 2018 at 2:00 pm at the New Salem Baptist Church. Rev. Tom Drake, Rev. Bennie Lee Yates, and Patrick Bryan Moody will officiate. Burial will follow in the Bethlehem-New Salem Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Friday, December 7, 2018 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Radney Funeral Home.
Coach Yates passed away on Wednesday, December 5, 2018 at Russell Medical. He was born on June 12, 1931 in Daviston, Alabama to James Vernon Yates and Merle Wallace Yates. He was an active member of New Salem Baptist Church and enjoyed his Sunday School class. Coach played basketball at Snead State and Jacksonville State and on the U.S. Army Basketball Team at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He also played semi pro basketball for the Russell Southern Team and the Southern Sluggers Softball team. He was a veteran of the Korean War. He was the basketball coach at New Site and Daviston for a total of 25 years. Coach Yates accumulated over 500 wins in his career and was inducted in the Alabama High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1996. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and brother. In his retirement, he enjoyed fishing in the Tallapoosa River.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Virginia Lester Yates of New Site; daughter, Penny Yates Moody (Clinton) of Alexander City; grandchildren, Patrick Bryan Moody (Crystal) of Prattville and Desiree Moody Sharpe of Daviston; great-grandchildren, Keegan Sharpe, Bryan Moody, Paislee Greyce Sharpe, and Sawyer Moody; brother, Bennie Lee Yates (Sonja) of Daviston; niece, Tamara Keith (Andy); nephew, Bryan Lee Yates (Autumn) of Alexander City.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
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