Cole James Bateman passed away suddenly on September 27th, 2026 at the age of 28. He was preceded in death by his mother, Rebecca Brown Kletz; his paternal step-grandmother Julie Bateman; his maternal grandfather David Bedwell; and his beloved cousin Logan Mote. His memory is celebrated by his family: his sister Skye Kletz; his brothers Brock and Dylan Bateman; his father and step-mother James and Michelle Bateman; his step-family members Derek, Christy, and Carol Kletz and Keith Ramsey; his paternal grandparents Allen Bateman and Vicki and Bill Mote; his maternal grandmother Jeanne Locklear; his maternal great-aunt Linda Locklear; his best friend Savannah Rigby; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Cole was born in Kankakee, Illinois on December 14, 1997 to his loving parents Jamie and Becky. He graduated as a valedictorian from University High School in Normal, Illinois in 2016 and earned a presidential scholarship to the University of Alabama, where he graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and French minor in 2019.

Music was at the core of Cole’s life; at an early age he learned to play the piano and joined band in school where he learned to play saxophone and became a drum major his senior year of high school. As an adult, he poured himself into his musicianship, spending countless hours creating experimental demos and releasing music under his stage name Xarmolypi, with his first album PAREALUSTRA coming out in 2020. He prided himself in his varied music taste – loving everything from 90’s Bristol trip-hop to Brat by Charli XCX to all things involving Tame Impala and had almost 300 vinyl records in his collection.

He was immensely talented in anything he touched – he loved to play around with technology, coding, and automations; play word games and do the New York Times crossword on the daily; devour books on chess strategy to practice on his numerous fancy chess boards; and tried his hand at several languages including Latin, Chinese, German, and ASL (he denied his fluency in French, but he was most definitely fluent).

Cole spent his career in service towards others. He formerly worked as a Program Services Coordinator for Project Return helping to reduce recidivism rates in Middle Tennessee by supporting people getting back on their feet after being released from prison. Since early 2025, Cole worked as a Behavior Tech at Rogers Behavioral Health providing mental health care for adolescents.

Cole will be missed more than words can describe by all those who knew and loved him. He was an extraordinary human being and possessed an outstanding intelligence as well as a profound empathy for everyone. He touched so many lives that are all better for having the privilege of knowing him.

In lieu of flowers, Cole’s family requests any memorial contributions be made to the Rogers Behavioral Health Foundation under “Patient Care Grants” and the “Angel Fund” to help support access to mental health treatment for those who can’t afford it