Ernest (Ernie) George Bateman, age 95 of Waymart, PA, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at Wayne Memorial Hospital surrounded by his beloved wife of 71 years, Gillian (Barty) and his family. Ernie was born November 6, 1927 in London, England to the late Ernest J. and Prudence (Bennett) Bateman. Ernie was also predeceased by his sister, Prudence and her husband, Teddy. Ernie grew up during WWII and at 17 enlisted in the Royal Air Force where he served for 2 years. He met the love of his life in 1949 who he affectionately referred to as his “Jilly” and they were married on March 15, 1952 in Barkingside, England. In 1956 they made the bold decision to head to the United States. They arrived in Canada and eventually planted roots in Connecticut where they lived until 2022 raising their three children along with countless horses, goats, chickens, pigs, and sheep. Ernie worked incredibly hard to provide for his family while employed at Perkin Elmer for 28 years and had the joy of being part of the team that helped to build the Hubble Space Telescope. He was so proud of his time there and cherished the lifelong friends he made. Away from his day job, Ernie was always busy tinkering, building, and fixing things. He was never known to give up on anything broken without giving his best effort to breathe more life into it. Ernie had a tremendous sense of humor and a passion for golf which really made the sense of humor necessary when the golf games didn’t go so well. Ernie will be greatly missed by his family especially by his children; Russell Bateman and his wife Kathleen of Waymart, PA; Michael Bateman and his wife, Cynthia of Hartland, VT; Amy Lewis and her husband Timothy of Suffield, CT as well as 15 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren (with 4 more on the way). A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on March 29th at 10:00 am at St. Mary Magdalen Church, 416 Church St., Honesdale, PA 18431. The family will receive friends and relatives in the basement of the church immediately following the mass. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Honesdale. Arrangements and cremation are entrusted to Howell Family Funeral Home, Inc. Edward R. Howell, Funeral Director, 269 Belmont Street, Waymart, PA 18472. www.HowellFamilyFuneralHome.com