Jane Belle Yates, 82, of Bloomfield, Iowa passed away on August 4, 2024 at the Davis County Hospital in Bloomfield. She was born on October 4, 1941 to Paul Edgar and Lucy Fay Kline Yates. At the age of four, Jane was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis but the disease never held her back and she accomplished much in her life. A vivid memory for her was during the flood of 1947, where she remembered sitting on her front porch in Ottumwa and was surrounded by water. The family moved to Bloomfield shortly after the flood.
After graduating from Bloomfield High School with the class of 1959, Jane attended Ottumwa Heights (now Indian Hills Community College) for a year before moving on to Southern Illinois University. She spent a year in Illinois before transferring to the University of Missouri where she completed her undergraduate degree. She returned to Bloomfield and worked for the Davis County Savings Bank (now Success Bank) for several years before returning to the University of Missouri to complete a master’s degree in economics and finance. She would teach at the University of Missouri for several years before returning home to take care of her mother. Jane worked at Indian Hills Community College for many years and helped countless people earn their General Educational Diploma. Education was very important to Jane.
She was a faithful member of the Bloomfield Christian Church and Christian Women’s Fellowship.
Jane is survived by many cousins including, Linda Johnson of Ottumwa, Iowa, Tim Yates of Adel, Iowa; and very special friends, Karen Cantrell and Cathy Redmon both of Bloomfield.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her sister and brother-in-law, Janet and Gerald “Jerry” Ales.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 9, 2024 at the Wagler Funeral Home in Bloomfield with Pastor Don Naftz officiating. Burial will be at the West Grove Cemetery in West Grove, Iowa. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Friday with the family present to greet friends from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. A memorial has been established to the Bloomfield Care Center Activity Fund to be used for BINGO prizes, a game Jane loved to play. She will be missed by all who knew her.
