In memoriam
Memorial service for “Classy Bob Massey” of KSQM Radio.
When: 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 8.
Where: Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave.
Bob Massey, the nation’s oldest radio broadcaster, died early Sunday, July 26. The 90-year-old broadcaster spent a lifetime devoted to radio before coming to Sequim.
Radio listeners know him as “Classy Bob Massey” and his daily morning program has been the most popular show on KSQM for the past seven years.
“He was always professional and brought a lot of experience,” Lynda Perry, Sequim Community Broadcasting board president, said. “Our community radio would not be in existence without his tireless work, professionalism and devotion.”
Massey started his career with the U.S. Armed Forces Radio Network while with the U.S. Army in 1945, broadcasting entertainment to soldiers in Germany. He later moved to Palm Beach, Fla., after World War II and went on to work for a handful of stations in Southern Florida before applying to an ad in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1963.
Within six years, Massey became a Washingtonian where he worked for Yakima’s KIT Radio and later finished his career at KBRD in Tacoma.
In 1992, Massey retired in Sequim with his wife, Margaret, who died in 2006.
However, retirement didn’t last long for Massey, as he was drawn back to his persistent passion — broadcasting.
“I still remember the first day he came into station,” Perry said. “He came in as a volunteer.”
With his years of experience, Massey helped launch KSQM Radio and his was the very first voice heard over the air waves for KSQM on Dec. 7, 2008.
Massey recently was honored as the most senior radio broadcaster in the United States, receiving special congratulations from the Washington State Legislature and recognition from the City of Sequim. “What an honor,” Massey had said of the achievement.
During his final days, Massey “fought the good fight and never stopped sharing his love, nor his great smile,” according a press release sent shortly following his death. “He proved beyond a doubt that he was, in fact, nothing less than ‘classy,’ and when asked about his seven decades on the radio, Massey stated that his favorite part of the job was ‘making his listeners smile.’”
Born March 9, 1925, in the small town of Rutherford, Tenn., and raised in Nashville, Massey joined the Army and was shipped out to Europe in time to join in with Gen. George Patton’s Third Army.
The public in invited to attend a memorial service and celebration of Massey’s life and the legacy he’s left with radio listens around the world.
