Ronald James Ash

Ronald J Ash was born in Denver, Colorado on September 25, 1941. His mother’s family was of Italian descent, and though a DNA test showed his father’s family was mostly English, there is suspected to be some Irish ancestry on that side.

Raised Roman Catholic, he attended parochial schools. After high school, he worked for IBM on the assembly line, making computer circuit boards, while putting himself through college at Colorado University, majoring in Journalism. He was then transferred by IBM to Boulder, Colorado as a Communications Specialist. When IBM opened a facility in Tucson, Arizona, he was part of the first advanced group to be transferred there in 1979. He enjoyed many aspects of his work, some of which took him to New York City, working on a press release for the New York Times. He was also able to witness IBM’s efforts to recover the information on the Challenger’s tape recordings. When IBM began to downsize, he took an early retirement in the early 1990’s.

While living in Colorado, Ron had three children from a previous marriage: Janet, Greg, and Valerie. They all moved to Tucson in 1979, where eventually he was divorced and began attending Christ Community Church. It was there, in a singles Bible study, that he met his second wife, Ann Stevens. They were married on May 15, 1999. With Ron’s service as Marine, and Ann’s service as a Chief Flight Surgeon in the Air National Guard, it is fitting that they were engaged on Veteran’s Day and married on Armed Forces Day!

Ron had many interests, most prominently, he loved his daily devotions and building his relationship with his Savior. He collected bookshelves of theological books, of the likes of Spurgeon and J. Vernon McGee. He served in the church at special events and in many capacities, namely as Head Usher and as a Stephen Minister.

He loved to fly and had many hours of flight time towards his pilot’s license. Narrow Gauge Trains, and all things “trains” were always a huge source of fascination for him. Photography was a talent we all enjoyed, with some of his work being used in IBM publications. There were many gatherings where he would get out the slide projector and share his many pictures with the family! He was always tinkering with antique clocks and old radios. He often reminisced of when he went up on a mountain in Durango, CO with his Uncle John Shafer to collect a radio and altimeter from the wreckage of a WWII plane. He treasured that altimeter and carried it with him on many trips through the mountains. He loved traveling and did a lot of it until his health declined. His last trip was to visit his daughter in Hawaii in 2019. He continued to enjoy working with his radios and visiting with his 3 children and 8 grandchildren.

After fighting valiantly with pneumonia in the last couple of years, Ron was admitted to St Joseph’s Hospital in January and subsequently brought home to hospice care where he could be made comfortable and pass peacefully in the presence of several loved ones. He went to be with Jesus on February 2nd, 2024. He is survived by his wife, sister (Elaine Lowry), children and grandchildren. Ron will be missed by all his family and the community of friends that have been a part of his life.

A funeral service for Ronald will be held Thursday, February 15, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Christ Community Church, 530 S Pantano Rd, Tucson, AZ 85710. A graveside service will occur Friday, February 16, 2024 from 1:30 PM to 2:00 PM at East Lawn Palms Mortuary & Cemetery, 5801 E Grant Rd, Tucson, AZ 85712.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Ron's honor to Thru the Bible - Christian Talk Radio with J. Vernon McGee. Donations can be made online at https://home.ttb.org/donate/give or by check or money order, mailed to PO Box 7100, Pasadena, CA, 91109.