SMSgt Jimmy Lyle Asbill (USAF, Ret) Jimmy Lyle Asbill was born July 31, 1952 in Corinth, Mississippi. He passed away from natural causes on December 18, 2018 at the age of 66 in Moore, OK. His parents were John Everett Asbill and Martha Ruth Dickey Asbill, both of whom died when he was five years old.
He was then reared as the second youngest of five brothers (Larry, Bill, David, Jimmy, and Ronnie) in Corinth by his Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Willard Horton, and close to his Uncle L.G. and Aunt Evonne Asbill. Helping to rear Jimmy until their deaths were his paternal grandparents, Tolbert O. Asbill and Rebecca Lambert Asbill. His Maternal grandparents were Joseph Park Dickey and Viola Rowland Dickey.
Jimmy is survived by his son Logan of Oklahoma City, his brothers, Bill of Chattanooga, Tennessee, David and wife Patty of Corinth, Ronnie and wife Kathy of Philadelphia, Mississippi, and Hal Horton of Corinth. He also has several cousins, nieces, and nephews. Jimmy graduated from Corinth High School in 1971.
Following graduation, he worked for Wurlitzer Piano and Organ Manufacturing in Corinth. At the age of 21, Jimmy joined the U.S. Air Force and found himself in training at Lackland AFB, Texas in September 1973. His first assignment was at Sheppard AFB, Texas for Technical Training as a Telephone Switching Wire Dawg, i.e., he worked on telephone switches and all the wiring inside buildings to provide telephone service across a base.
Jimmy received his first overseas assignment to Okinawa, Japan in June 1974. There he learned to wind surf and became a certified Divemaster scuba diver. His next assignment was at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, where in addition to perfecting his technical skills on telephone switches, he learned to pitch slow-pitch softball.
Jimmy returned to Okinawa, Japan in January 1980. There he played intramural softball and helped his squadron to a Base Intramural Championship. In March of 1984, Jimmy reported to Hill AFB, Utah, where he caught the largest catfish and largest fish two years running in his squadron’s annual fishing derby and again helped his squadron win the Base Intramural Softball Championship.
Jimmy reported to Headquarters European Communications Division (ECD), Kapaun, Germany, Air Force Telecommunications Certification Office Europe in January, 1987. While there, he not only helped the ECD win the Base Intramural Softball Championship, but he played on a half dozen pickup teams that toured the European countryside. His teams won the AFCENT Championship in the Netherlands and the All Services Championship in Vajensa, Italy.
Throughout these assignments, he most importantly excelled as a Wire Dawg and was promoted to the rank of Master Sergeant near the end of his tour in Germany. Master Sergeant Asbill was next assigned to the Air Force Telecommunications Office (AFTCO) at Scott AFB, IL in February, 1989. One of his assignments there was Commandant of the Commercial Communications School.
In August 1992, the Air Force needed him in South Korea, where he was the Assistant Wire Dawg Chief for the 51st Communications Squadron at Osan Air Base. After that one-year remote tour, he made his final military move to Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, where he was promoted to Senior Master Sergeant in August 1995 and retired effective October 1, 1997. At the time of his retirement, Jimmy was the father of a young son, Logan Grant (name selected in honor of Uncle L.G.), born in 1994.
Jimmy played a very hands-on role as Dad to Logan, though he spent a few more years working in real estate and homebuilding before moving to Shalimar, Florida and becoming a stay-at-home Dad in 2002. Jimmy shared his love of sports, especially football and the University of Oklahoma Sooners, with Logan. One of their best memories was a surprise trip to Talladega to see a NASCAR race.
Logan was told he was going to a dentist appointment but was riding through Alabama before he noticed the trip was taking too long and Jimmy told him to look under the seat where he found a pair of NASCAR headphones. Logan also remembers Jimmy’s snoring rocking the USS Alabama, permanently docked in Mobile Bay, when his Cub Scout troop (Jimmy was a Scout Leader) did a sleepover aboard the ship as one of their many outings. Jimmy was also a Soccer Dad and enjoyed watching Logan play soccer throughout the years in Florida.
When Logan moved back to Oklahoma and began his freshman year of High School, Jimmy soon followed and settled in Moore, less than a half mile from Logan’s school. In his later years in Oklahoma, Jimmy lived a solitary life enjoying movies, sports, and his computer, as well as the visits from Logan, who until recently attended college about 70 miles West. Jimmy had expressed to Logan his desire to return to his Mississippi home one day.
He didn’t make it there in life, but his final resting place will be at the National Cemetery in Corinth, Mississippi. In keeping with his social life being on-line, in lieu of a service in Oklahoma, those who wish to remember Jimmy please sign and/or leave comments in the electronic guestbook at www. smithandkernke.com and feel free to share this site with his other on-line friends.
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