Edward Charles Dobbins, 83, of Rothesay, New Brunswick died on January 20th, 2011. Ed Dobbins was born in Woburn, Mass. to Irish immigrant parents William and Delia Marie (Feeney) Dobbins, and was the youngest of seven children. As a child he was an ardent builder whose projects ranged from balsa wood airplanes to the kayak that was trundled down to the local pond on the chassis of a repurposed baby stroller. This hobby provided lifelong enjoyment; as an adult he built a catamaran that the family enjoyed sailing at Lake Utopia for many years. A gifted athlete in multiple sports in his youth, Ed pitched a no hitter against the high school team while still in junior high and skipped his senior season in high school to sign and play in the Braves organization. He played several seasons, but his baseball career was interrupted to join the U.S. Navy, where he served in the Pacific at the end of World War II. Naval service provided the opportunity to attend college via the benefits of the G.I. Bill and he earned a B.Sc. in biology from Springfield College.
While playing semi-pro ball during college on the old Maritime senior circuit he met Anne Irene McLean of Blacks Harbour. They married in 1954 and lived in Boston for a time before moving to New Brunswick in 1956. Mr. Dobbins worked for Connors Bros. Ltd. for many years including as manager of the Fresh and Frozen Foods Division that supplied haddock and pollock to the Boston market. During this time, he introduced buoyancy-containing safety jackets to the fishermen that supplied Connors Bros. One fisherman later told him that the jacket saved his life when a boat capsized and he was trapped in an air pocket until rescuers arrived. Ed worked for many years in Beaver Harbour and respected the independent, resourceful spirit of the people of Beaver Harbour and the Passamaquoddy region.
After retirement from Connors Bros. Ed devoted himself to designing games and sports equipment. He was dissatisfied with the quality of most games and designed a table-top curling game and a tennis practice device, both of which were awarded patents. His inventions were characterized by ingenious mechanism and durable, rugged design.
In 1981 Ed and Irene moved to Rothesay where they have lived ever since. They have five children, Allan (and Betsy) of Birmingham, Ala. USA, Mary Jayne (and Brian) of St. Albert, AL, Will (and Nancy) of Hanwell, NB, Jeff of Mississauga, ON, and Ann (and Dave) of Ottawa, ON. They have seven grandchildren, William, Hannah, Ben, Blake, Chris, James, and Alexandra. Ed will be remembered with love by his family and many friends for his breadth of knowledge, inquisitive mind, and kind and generous spirit.
Although there will be no visiting, relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral service, which will be held on Monday, January 24, 2011 at 10:00 AM from Brenan's Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John (634-7424). A reception will follow at the Union Club, 125 Germain Street, Saint John. Online condolences may be placed at www.brenansfh.com.