Robert "Bob" Bass was one of eleven children born on November 4, 1949 in Merced, California to Elisha P. Bass Junior and Mima Lucille Bass. When Bob was in his teen years, the family moved to Northern California. They settled in the Bayliss Area with the Jantzen family, who owned Glenn House Movers, where his dad worked for many years. As a teenager, living in Bayliss, Bob worked for neighboring farmers and eventually worked with his father as a house mover. This is when he got the nickname of "Rough Rider"; as the house was being towed down the street he would walk on the ridge of the roof carrying the hot wires with a stick.

After a fire destroyed the Bass home in Bayliss, the family then moved to Hamilton City where the Mennonite Community helped build a house for the family on Sacramento Avenue. Bob attended Hamilton High School where he made lifelong friendships with his many classmates. He was an all-star athlete and Bob even went to state finals for wrestling. When it came to football, his classmates commented on how people hated to play against him because he was one of those "Bass boys" and quite the opponent on the grid iron. His biggest fan was his dad, whose whooping and hollering at the sidelines could be heard all over Hamilton City. Bob graduated from Hamilton High School in 1968 and was named "Athlete of the Year." Bob was always a hard worker and, in the summer, he earned money for college by bucking hay near San Jose. As a Butte College student, he continued his love for sports by playing on the football team and was also a part of the rodeo team. And anyone who knew anything about Bob, also knew of his love for his favorite horse, LeRoy!

After Butte College, Bob became a fulltime worker and was hired as a welder and foreman at Matthews Conveyor (later called Rexnord). He worked at Rexnord in Chico for 16 years and mastered the craft of welding. He became so good, he customized his own BBQ grills. His BBQ and BBQ sauce were beyond compare and always in high demand (and he NEVER shared his BBQ sauce recipe)! Bob was a sought-after grill master for company BBQ's, family Sunday gatherings, various fundraisers and the yearly family reunions held in Merced.

Bob loved to hunt anything with four legs and could always be heard on his C.B. radio, answering to his handle "Rough Rider". For many years, he was an active member of the Northern California Houndsmen Association advocating for hunters' rights. He never missed a hunting season, which often turned into week long family vacations. Family members would come from all over California to join in on these hunting trips in the beautiful mountains near the Oregon border. Bob never missed a shot and was always the first in camp to get his deer. He was also a renowned bear hunter and would always have a lively tale of his dangerous adventures. To celebrate his hunting win, Bob would drive through Hamilton City with the bear on the back of his truck. The children in town would excitedly follow behind the truck, like a parade – a memorable experience that is still talked about to this very day.

Bob passed into the loving arms of Our Savior on Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at Enloe Hospital. Bob is survived by his wife, Barbara, of 51 years. Bob and Barbara have seven children, Lorraine, Lanaya (Jabari), Robert (Patricia), Laura (Robbie), Laurita (Anthony), Elisha (Irina) and Joseph. There are 14 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. He also is survived by his sisters Angela Bass and Gloria Bass of Hamilton City, and Mima Jones of Lathrop, CA. Surviving brothers are Glenn Brown of Fresno, CA, Charles Brown of Atwater, CA, and Burnice Bass of Hamilton City. Bob was preceded in death by his dear parents Elisha and Mima Bass, his sisters Pat Brown and Lavinia Bass, brothers Thomas Brown and Anthony Bass, nephew Jesus Mundo and niece Sheila Whitlock.

He leaves behind a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, neighbors, and hunting buddies who loved him dearly. Bob had a larger than life personality! We are fortunate that he was part of our lives. He will be greatly missed, but never forgotten! The family wishes to thank those nurses at Enloe who cared for him so well and all the family and friends that passed on their prayers and condolences.

A viewing will take place on Friday, September 3rd from 6-8 pm at Sweet-Olsen Family Mortuary in Orland, CA. A Celebration of Life will take place at the Orland Cemetery on Saturday, September at 11 am. Anyone wishing to assist the Bass Family with memorial services can make contributions to the Sweet-Olson Family Mortuary, 825 A St. Orland, CA 95963