Complex sentence: Oates was born and raised in Depoy, Kentucky, a tiny rural community west of Greenville in Muhlenberg County, the son of Sarah Alice (née Mercer) and Bayless Earle Oates, who owned a general store.
Split into simpler sentences: Oates was born and raised in Depoy, Kentucky, a tiny rural community west of Greenville in Muhlenberg County. He was the son of Sarah Alice (née Mercer) and Bayless Earle Oates, who owned a general store.