Robert Donald Gaskins

Robert Donald Gaskins (“Bobby” down south; “Bob” up north), of Newton Falls, OH died peacefully, surrounded by love on December 5, 2018. He was 77 years old.

    Bob is survived by his brother Gerald Mixon of Cordsville, SC, and sister Joyce Gaskins of SC; his wife, Norma Gaskins of Newton Falls, OH; his four boys, Ronnie Gaskins of Austintown, OH, Bobby Gaskins of Newton Falls, OH, Rodney Gaskins of Newton Falls, OH, and Roger Gaskins of Columbiana, OH; and his eight grandchildren Levi, Alec, Lasy, Torrance, Paige, Aaron, Luvrian, Layla. He is preceded in death by his brothers Johnny and Carol Gaskins of SC; and his parents, Sidney Gaskins and Ernestine Murphy of Huger, SC.

    Bob was born on October 16, 1941 in Berkeley County, SC.  He was a country boy through and through; seeing clearly the nature of the world in the woods and on the back of a horse, finding the trails less traveled beyond the pin oaks and babbling creeks, and among the broken limbs and weathered stone, he listened to the appy and to the buckskin and the friend and to their whispers--we are more than the sum of our parts.   As a boy he cared for Star, his first horse, a young colt he rode bareback with a bridle ordered out of a Roy Rogers’ comic book. He loved Star and the Lone Ranger and “grew up a-dreamin’ of bein’ a cowboy.” True to the song, Bob was one step in back of his dreams and as a teen moved to Ohio in search of a better life and found work as a drywaller.  There he discovered his two constant loves; his wife Norma (whom he would build a marriage of 48 years) and pickin’ old country Merle Haggard music.  He found a kindred free spirit in Norma and in the Bakersfield country music. Bob was a maverick even as dementia's stranglehold tightened--he resisted.  This independent spirit, this is Dad in us; this is his legacy. He was a self-made man in business and in life earning a living primarily as the CEO of Gaskins Drywall (Incorporated of America) but also as a horse trader, farmer, entrepreneur, and inventor (namely of the “Sky Screw”).  He taught his four boys the trade of drywall hanging and finishing as well as life skills like how to ride horses, play guitar, work hard, laugh harder, and live life passionately.

    Bob passed away peacefully after a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia. He will be remembered as a cowboy, a musician, songwriter, and lover of nature and animals.

Arrangements by Cremation & Funeral Service by Gary S Silvat Inc.  Send condolences to Bob's family by visiting: www.cremateohio.com.

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