James Robert Gaston, 66, of Cincinnati, Ohio, tragically left us on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.  He was a loving husband, father, papaw, and friend.  His presence will be greatly missed.

He responded to many names.  To his childhood friends and family, he is known as Bobby.   While in his later years, he was called Jimmy, Jimbo, Sleepwalker, Jimmy Supersnake, or Jimmy Road Runner.  He was born, raised, and lived his whole life in the greater Cincinnati area.  He was a Simon Kenton High School graduate.

Like his many names, he had many careers and he excelled in all of them.  He started as a machinist working at Dover elevators.   In the 80’s, he switched to driving for a living.  He drove dump trucks, flat beds, and semitrucks.  His most dangerous job was picking up, transporting, and dropping off telephone poles on country roads without an escort or any assistance.  His last career was in tennis.  He did everything from taking care of the courts, running the front desk, and teaching tennis.

Besides his love of family, he had two loves, cars and tennis.  His father’s passing when he was 13 years old and his main memory of him was the two of them going to watch drag racing together.  There wasn’t a weekend that he wasn’t going to a local or national drag racing event, a car show, or a car cruising. He loved driving, not on the interstate but on the back roads, and the more curves the better.  He had gotten many NHRA legends to sign the shroud of his 2012 Shelby GT500 Super Snake.  His goal was to be able to add his name to the shroud by beating the world record for a Shelby convertible at the Arkansas Mile in October.  He was also currently working on a project to put a Hellcat engine in a 1970 Road Runner.

He would watch tennis on television daily. He didn’t learn to play until he was 19 years old.  He taught himself by hitting on the wall and studying the technique of the pros.  Playing tennis was a passion, but teaching tennis was his calling.  He loved to help players improve their game.  He accomplished this by encouraging them to just make one very small change.  He loved seeing the surprise look on their faces when that simple tip improved their game. Happiness for him was not in making money teaching but in knowing that he was able to help someone enjoy the game a little bit more.

Jimmy was the type of person that people upon first impression either loved or hated.  Jimmy was a talker with a loud voice and had a story for every situation.  Some people were overwhelmed by his extreme positivity and enthusiasm and sometimes thought he was just telling tall tales.  He was easy to make fun of.  But with time, Jimmy usually won them over. 

Jimmy believed that he wasn’t meant to be famous or do great things.  God put him on this earth to serve and love his wife, his immediate family, and the people that God put in his life.  Jimmy had a big heart and the uncanny ability to know when to talk to complete strangers.  He was a prayer warrior who often prayed while cleaning car windows or detailing a car.  He felt those people were placed in his life to pray for them.

He is survived by Caron (wife), Sabrina and Amanda (daughters), Aiden, Chloe, Connor (grandchildren), Sheila (sister), Dimitri (nephew), Ann (niece) and many other relatives.  He was preceded in death by his father, Robert Hart Gaston, and his mother, Rose Ann Pennington Gaston.

Visitation will be at Chambers & Grubbs Funeral Home, 11382 Madison Pike, Independence KY, on Thursday, August 6th, from 5 pm to 7 pm.  A funeral service will occur at 7 pm. Guests will be invited to tell a “Jimmy Story” after the pastor speaks.  On Friday, August 7th, there will be a visitation from 1 pm to 3 pm with the burial to follow at Mt Olivet Church, 2763 E. Hwy 577, Manchester, KY.