Bobby Gerald Ash was born October 13, 1928 in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, the first child born to Arthur Earl "Bud" and Bertha (Snyder) Ash.  When he was 11 years old, his father passed away.  Bob then became the man of the house.  He quit school and started working two jobs so he could support his mother and help raise his three younger siblings.

One job he found was working as the projectionist at the Medicine Lodge movie theater.  This job landed him a lifetime of happiness when he met and fell in love with the popcorn girl, Donna Mae Hamilton.

In 1950, Bob was inducted into the United States Army, honorably serving until his discharge in 1952.

On December 24, 1955, Bob married the love of his life, Donna Mae Hamilton.  He and Donna were blessed with two sons, Bobby Jr. and Timothy.

In 1970, Bob and Donna moved their family to Anthony, Kansas and purchased the Anthony Theatre and Drive-In.  For many, many years, and with the help of their sons, they ran the Theater 7 days a week, only closing on Christmas Eve each year because it was also their anniversary.  The boys can remember, getting out of school and sports practices and only having 30 minutes at home to have supper before heading to work. Bob took pride in everything he did and always kept the Theater immaculate.   They retired and sold the Theatre in 1994.

While in the Army, Bob completed radio repair training.  All his life he was skilled at fixing and repairing radios, televisions and various electronics.  He built the first FM radio transmitter for his Theater so families could listen to the movies through a radio station.

The birth of Bob's granddaughters brought new joy to him and Donna's lives.  They both could not have been more proud of them and they treasured all the time they were able to spend with Ashlea and Addison.

When age began getting the best of them, they started staying in Nebraska with Tim and his family for periods of time.  It was here that he lost his beloved Donna Mae in December 2016.

On February 27, 2020, Bob passed away at Attica Long Term Care in Attica, Kansas, with his sons by his side.  He had lived a good long life of 91 years and was ready to go be with his love, Donna Mae.  He was also preceded in death by his parents; one sister, Shirley; his faithful dog, Ginger; and his grand-dog, Shadow.

Bob will be deeply missed by his sons:  Bobby Ash Jr. and wife, Cindy, and Tim Ash; his granddaughters, Ashlea Asper and husband, Michael, and Addison Ash and her mom, Annie; great-grandchildren:  Brent, Logan and Micah Asper; adopted grandchildren, Autumn Kloefkorn and husband, Aaron and their son, Lawson, and Josie Duwe and her son, Colt; his brother, Raymond; his sister, Betty; his grand-dog, Heidi; several nieces and nephews; other relatives and friends.

Just before Bob passed, in the presence of his family, he had a conversation with Donna Mae and told her "I'm coming to see you soon and we can watch a movie together."

Later this Summer, the Ash family will be renting the Anthony Theatre and sponsoring a free movie in memory of Bob and Donna Ash.

Funeral service will be held 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 1, 2020 at Prairie Rose Funeral Home in Anthony, Kansas with Pastor Kent Olds officiating.  A private burial will be held at the Highland Cemetery in Medicine Lodge.

Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.

Memorials in memory of Bob may be made to the Historic Anthony Theatre and may be sent in care of the funeral home.

Prairie Rose Funeral Homes, 602 E. Main St., Anthony, KS 67003, is in charge of arrangements.