West Branch, Iowa Kathleen “Kati” Scharff Bates, 52, died Thursday, July 3, 2014 at her home. Funeral services will be held at 12:00 PM on Monday, July 7, 2014 at the Henderson-Barker Funeral Home in West Branch with visitation from 10:00 -12:00 PM on Monday. Burial will be at the Downey Cemetery. A memorial fund has been established. Kati was born September 3, 1961 in Iowa City, Iowa, the daughter of Billy A. and Rose Mary McCain Scharff. She graduated from West Liberty High School in 1979. She was united in marriage to Tom Bates on September 21, 2001 in Downey, Iowa. Kati was employed as a business analyst in the University of Iowa’s Office of the Registrar, where she worked for 28 years. Kati loved listening to music as well as singing. She enjoyed watching stock car races, especially when it was her son Lucas. She also enjoyed watching her daughter Codi participate in sports, especially volleyball. Kati was concerned more about others than herself and was always willing to help those in need. She is survived by her husband Tom Bates of Tipton, mother Rose Mary Scharff of West Liberty, son Lucas Thurness of West Liberty, daughter Codi Thurness of Manhattan, Kansas, stepdaughters: Ashly Abrahamson of Minnesota and Allie Bates of Tipton, sisters: Debra (Mario) Iniquez of Grandview, Iowa, and Cynthia Thomas of South Carolina, brother-in-law Phil Ingram of West Branch and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father Billy A Scharff and a sister Pamela Scharff.