Bobby Ray Self

Bobby Ray Self was born in Altoona, Alabama on September 16, 1926, one of five brothers and two sisters to Horace Greely Self and Mary Lucille Wright. Bobby worked in coal mines as a child and in 1943 enlisted in the Army during WWII. He fought in the battle of Okinawa in 1945 and was pulled from the battlefield by a conscientious objector after being shot. His injuries to his legs continued to plague him during his life and got worse as he got older.

Bobby met Ruth Lee Raines, four years his senior, and they were married on November 1, 1947 in Prattville, Alabama. Bob and Ruth welcomed their first son Thomas on January 8, 1952. Their second son arrived on February 5, 1954.

Bob later transferred out of the Army and into the Air Force. Bob’s career in the air force took them all over the U.S. and the world. Second son Richard was born during Bob’s deployment to England. Bob also worked at Area 51 in Las Vegas but wouldn’t give up any of its secrets. During son Thomas’s 11th grade, the family was transferred from Nevada to the Ramstein Air Force base in West Germany. With Germany as a home base, Bob’s sons explored Europe as young adults.

Upon his retirement in 1975, Bob and Ruth settled into their permanent home in San Antonio, Texas. Bob and Ruth invested time and energy into building a new life with new friends and new neighbors. They found Rainbow Hills Baptist Church to be a welcoming family and both became very active in the life of the church. Ruth became known as “Aunt Toogie” and was a favorite of the children to whom she would hand out gum. Bob served as church Administrator for several years managing resources, fundraising, and church expansion. Ruth and Bob gave of their time generously and served as volunteers at the Wilford Hall military hospital in San Antonio. Bob continued visiting the commissary at the base and enjoyed living close enough to hear the jets fly over.

When not volunteering or serving at the church, Bob and Ruth would travel across the country to see their two grandchildren in Vermont and their son and his wife in Sun Valley, Idaho.

As Bob finally began to decline, he moved in May of 2021 to live with his son Thomas and his wife, Jennifer in Fort Mill, South Carolina. There he received the specialized care that he deserved until he could no longer be managed at home. From March of 2022 Bob lived in a 5 star assisted living where he became a favorite of the staff who doted on him. Finally, his desire to be with Ruth again beckoned him home.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Lee Self; his siblings, Major, Horace, Billy, Richard, Lyda, and Ruth. He is survived by his sons, Thomas Self (Jennifer) and Richard Self (Suzanne); and two grandsons, Ethan and Quinn.

MEMORIAL SERVICEWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 202211:00 AMTHE HILLS CHURCH(2255 Horal Street, San Antonio, TX 78227)

Interment with Military Honors will follow in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.