Bernard A. Ash

If a man had nine lives, Ash had eighteen. If he wasn’t running into burning buildings, kicking in doors, being shot at, he was catching the bad guys and shutting down fraud– that’s a man who lived his life with purpose. He always said, “he worked for the good guys,” and he did for 45-years until pancreatic cancer got the best of him.

No one loved his job more than Bernard Alan Ash. Bernard founded Ash Investigations in 1986 and quickly became Houston’s most sought-after private investigator as one of the few PI's in Texas who was a Certified Expert Witness in both State and Federal Courts on Premise Liability Cases in the United States.

In his early years as a Houston Police Officer Bernard earned the respect of his peers voted in as the youngest President of the Houston Police Association. He was quickly promoted to the Harris County District Attorney Office as a Homicide and Special Crimes Detective where he worked on notorious Texas cases.

Bernard was a graduate of the FBI Academy, a certified firearms expert and instructor with a Master’s Degree in criminology and law enforcement from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX. He received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Houston and later served as Coordinator of the Criminal Justice program.

A native Houstonian, he was predeceased by his beloved parents, Anna Mary Harris Ash and Bernard Noble Ash, and his brother Michael Payton Ash. In addition to his wife Jana Barrington he is survived by his daughter Dena Pharr and son Jarod Ash; and their families; son-in-law Rick Pharr and grandchildren Mackenzie, and her fiancé, Dustin, Hayden, Peyton and Lillyanna and a host of extended family and friends.

Ash lived his life with purpose, loving each of us more than we will ever know. He will be deeply missed.

The celebration of his life – Chapel of the Angels, Forest Park Lawndale, Houston, TX Wednesday, February 13, 2019.

Visitation 1:00 PM | Funeral Service 2:00 PM | Graveside Service 3:00 PM | Reception – To follow