09/22/2025
Robert Mitchell Mink (Bob), 74, passed away on September 16, 2025 in Amarillo, Texas following several years of battling dementia and related illness. Bob never met a stranger, and dedicated his life to loving his family, loving his friends, and loving the world by sharing the message of the gospel.
Bob was born on March 11, 1951 in Cincinnati, Ohio to Virgil and Doyce Mink, joining older brother Wayne. They spent their entire childhood in the same home, playing virtually every sport and driving their mother crazy roughhousing with each other. It was in middle school that Bob started attending Forest Dale Church of Christ at the invitation of a baseball teammate. He gave his life to Christ at that same church, and he used his life-long passion for playing and coaching sports to witness to others around him. In high school, he was a competitive wrestler and the Student Council President, graduating in 1969 and heading off to Cincinnati Bible College. At the time of his graduation, his entire family had begun attending church and became Christians.
Two of the most important events in his life then happened in back-to-back years: He was ordained as a minister at Forest Dale in 1973 and married Jan Kissell in 1974. At the time of his passing, Bob and Jan had been married for 51 years. Bob would frequently joke that he wasn’t sure how Jan put up with him for the first 10 years of their marriage. He continued his education during that time, getting a Master of Divinity (Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1977), a Master of Theology (Princeton University, 1979), a Master of Arts (Temple University, 1982), and a Doctorate of Ministry (Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1985). Bob loved school, reading, and learning. Even after his formal schooling was done, he remained a voracious reader for the rest of his life. Despite his family’s best efforts, we never could convince him that novels were worth his time; he preferred non-fiction. He frequently gave books as gifts, and he never failed to write a quick note on the inside cover.
Bob spent his early years in ministry as a youth pastor in Cincinnati and then a senior pastor in Philadelphia. In 1981, his daughter Audrey was born and in 1984, his son Robert Jr. (Rob) followed. With a two-year old and an infant, Bob and Jan then packed up and moved to Moreno Valley, California to plant what later became Discovery Christian Church. The first Sunday service was in October of 1984. During Bob’s time as senior pastor, the church grew from meeting in a living room, to a school classroom, to a school cafeteria, to building a sanctuary. Bob taught Bible studies, did counseling, preached every Sunday, and developed friendships that lasted his whole life. Along with all of his responsibilities as senior pastor, Bob attended every school event, award ceremony, and game for both kids. He knew all of his kids’ friends and greeted their parents in the stands. He would frequently go straight from preaching on Sundays to the baseball field, still in a suit, to coach Rob’s games. Though he rooted for the Angels, maybe he knew he’d end up in Texas, because even in Southern California he was an avid San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Cowboys fan. He loved watching his kids play baseball, softball, and basketball, but his favorite was when Rob took up golf. Bob enjoyed traveling to watch tournaments and loved playing with his son any chance he got. The Minks always had a dog, and Bob insisted they were “not cat people.” As you can guess, their family grew to include multiple cats over time.
In 2010, Bob became a grandpa and threw himself into the role with the enthusiasm you’d expect. He loved that his oldest grandson went by Bobby, a nickname he’d himself used as a child. Ryan followed in 2014, and Bob definitely had a soft spot for him as a fellow younger brother. He and Jan made frequent trips to Amarillo and he absolutely adored everything about spending time with his grandsons. In 2014, Bob retired after 30 years as the senior pastor at Discovery Christian Church. In 2016, he and Jan moved to Amarillo in order to help their daughter raise her sons. It took about a minute for them to plug in at Washington Avenue Christian Church. In typical Bob fashion, he soon knew more people in Amarillo than some lifelong residents could claim. He went to any play, ceremony, game, or event for his grandkids. He knew and loved their friends, their friends’ parents, and his community here. He joined the staff at Washington Avenue as the pastor to seniors and served in that role until 2023. At Washington Avenue, he found another community of friendship, love, and support. His son Rob and his wife Jillian moved to Amarillo, and Bob was ecstatic that the family was all together in the same city again. You could frequently find them playing along to Jeopardy games on television, chasing the grandkids around, or just enjoying a meal together. In 2024, his granddaughter Paisley was born.
As one friend put it, Bob’s outgoing and loving personality was so big that it felt especially unfair to watch dementia rob him of that essence. He had excellent medical care and the incredible support that only Jan could provide. Even as his dementia progressed, she found ways to make him laugh and bring him peace. His family was blessed to have the opportunity to tell him how much they loved him and say their goodbyes, but the hole he leaves behind will never be filled. They are comforted by knowing he is home with his Heavenly Father, no doubt showing everyone in heaven photos of his wife, kids, grandkids, and pets.
Bob is preceded in death by his parents, Virgil and Doyce Mink. He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Wayne and Bonnie Mink; his wife of 51 years, Jan Mink; his daughter Audrey Vartabedian, his son and daughter-in-law Rob and Jillian Mink; and grandchildren Bobby Vartabedian (15), Ryan Vartabedian (11), and Paisley Mink (1).
A celebration of life will be held at 1 pm on Saturday, September 27th at Washington Avenue Christian Church in Amarillo, Texas (3800 S. Washington St.). The family asks that as you remember Bob, you give thanks for his life and embrace his attitude of loving everyone around him everywhere he went.
Online condolences may be shared at www.boxwellbrothers.com
