Obituary of James E. Bass

Dr. James E. Bass, beloved minister of Richland Hills and Travis Avenue Baptist Churches, died peacefully Monday evening, February 5, 2018.James Earl Bass was born on April 3, 1922, in Kilgore to Roy Lee and Rose Lee Speakman Bass. He met Ann Bass in their hometown of Kilgore and were married at First Baptist Kilgore when he was 22 and she, 20. Dr. Bass earned a bachelors degree from East Texas Baptist and a DMin. and ThD from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.As a young man, he enlisted in the U.S.A.F. during WWII training pilots in Childress. Following the war, Dr. Bass was recruited by Braniff but he and Ann chose ministry. Dr. Bass served at Richland Hills Baptist Church for 30 years and later at Travis Avenue Baptist Church for 25 years before retiring in 2014. He was one of the Board of Pastors who started “Texas Week” at Falls Creek, Davis, OK, a lifelong work.Dr. and Mrs. Bass loved to travel to parts of Colorado where they helped build churches for many years, and there was also a special trip to the Holy Land. They were voting poll volunteers all their lives. He was a serious 42 player, an avid reader, loved golf, and they both loved gardening, still doing all the mowing until he was 92.He was preceded in death by his son, Kenneth E. Bass.Survivors: His wife of 74 years, Ann; their son, Bobby Lee Bass and his wife, DeAnn; daughter-in-law, Gina Bass McGinnis; grandchildren, Austin D. Bass and his wife, Nikki, Spencer E. Bass, Parker Lee Bass; and great grandson, Barrett A. Bass.