DEBORAH (BATES) STEED

April 24, 1962 - July 20, 2007
SOUTH BEND - Deborah L. (Bates) Steed, 45, of Twyckenham Drive, South Bend, departed this life to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on July 20, 2007, in Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center. Deborah was born April 24, 1962, to Blanche Nicks-Bates and Artell Bates in Chicago, IL.

Deborah was the definition of love. She always had a smile and a kind word for everyone she met. She knew no strangers because she would always strike up a conversation as though she had known the individual for years. Deborah was also known for trying to "mother" everyone. She wanted to make sure you had eaten right, gotten enough rest, and if you needed her, she was there. That's just the kind of person Deborah was.

Deborah was a graduate of John Adams High in 1980.

She fell in love with her husband from a picture she saw at his sister Betty's house, and on October 17, 1988, Deborah Bates and Herman W. Steed were joined in marriage in Saginaw, Michigan. Deborah leaves to cherish her memory her loving husband, Herman W. Steed; a daughter, LaLena N. Steed of South Bend; three sons, Antoine D. Bates of Kentucky, Christopher M. Steed and George K. Steed, both of South Bend; mother, Blanche Nicks Stanley of Atlanta, Georgia; father, Artell Bates, and stepmother, Sally Bates, both of Louisville, Kentucky; two brothers, Christopher (Tina) Duffy of Atlanta, Georgia, and Kevin Duffy of Florida; three sisters-in-law, Becky Stevens and Betty Steed, both of South Bend, and Delores Steed of Benton Harbor, MI; uncles and aunts; a special uncle, Wiyze "Buddy" Nicks; special cousins, Richard Scott of South Bend, and Valarie Nicks Goodrich, who preceded her in death; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends; and her brothers and sisters in Christ at New Covenant Baptist Church.

Deborah was a former employee of the University of Notre Dame Book Store, the Salvation Army, and was currently employed as a cashier at Bethel College in Mishawaka, IN, where she loved her work and her fellow employees.

Funeral services for Deborah L. (Bates) Steed will be Friday, July 27, in the New Covenant Baptist Church, 1819 Prairie Ave., South Bend, IN. Visitation will be 11 a.m., and funeral at noon. The Clark-O'Neal Funeral Home has been entrusted with funeral arrangements.