John Esla Bateman, 58, was called to the biggest baseball field in eternity on December 1, 2018. Born and raised by Otis and Gertrude Bateman in Hampton, he enjoyed his time fishing, hunting and grilling, but his greatest passion was coaching baseball at Hampton Wythe Little League. John was part of the local umpiring association claiming that he never made a bad call, but some beg to differ. He was an active project manager at the Tile Shop for 12 years.

John leaves to cherish his memories his wife for 34 wonderful years, Brenda and his two beautiful children, Cody and Brandy. He is also survived by his brothers, Doug (Joanna) and Jeff (Susan); his sisters, Pam Williams and Delores Black (Mike) as well as his brother-in-law, Wess. John was a family man and loved his nieces and nephews dearly.

The family will receive friends from 6-8 PM Wednesday, December 5, 2018 at R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held at 2 PM Thursday, December 6 in the funeral home chapel.