Funeral service will be 11 a.m., Thursday, March 30, 2017 at Memorial Funeral Home in Columbia with visitation preceding from 10 - 11 a.m., also at Memorial Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery.
Ronald was born April 2, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois, to Clarence and Helen Bassford. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He then earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Missouri, and went on to have a long career with the Federal Aviation Administration. On December 15, 1962, he married Mary Lou in Jefferson City, Missouri. He was a man of faith who enjoyed gardening and carpentry for many years; however, his family was his greatest source of joy on earth.
He is survived by his three children, Andrew & wife, Rebecca, of Virginia; Matthew & wife, Lauren, of Illinois; Susan & husband, Justin, of St. Louis, Missouri; seven grandchildren; siblings Robert Bassford and Thomas Bassford of Columbia, Missouri, and Carole Brown of Hillsboro, Missouri. He was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, two siblings, and one grandchild.
