Reginald ‘Jack’ Dobbins

REGINALD ‘JACK’ DOBBINS, HOULTON – Reginald ‘Jack’ Dobbins, 83, of Houlton, Maine, passed away peacefully surrounded by family Saturday afternoon, July 1, 2017 at Eastern Maine Medical Center.
Born in Houlton to the late Queenie Marie (Levesque) and Cecil R. Dobbins, Jack lived his whole life in the town he loved.
Jack graduated from Houlton High school in 1954. Jack was an accomplished sportsman. He ran track, played tennis and baseball, but basketball was his passion. He was captain of Houlton High’s basketball team and led their team to many victories. He also served as treasurer of his senior high school class.
After high school, Jack joined the Air Force, proud to serve and protect his country. Soon he climbed to the position of Communications Chief on the base in Limestone. While in the Air Force, Jack played professional basketball with the Dominion of Canada traveling team. Back in civilian life, Jack shared his love of basketball by returning to his childhood elementary school, Saint Mary’s School in Houlton where he coached basketball for more than fifteen years. While coaching basketball he frequently took his team players on camping trips into the Maine woods where he taught them the hunting and fishing skills he had learned from his grandfather. For many years to come those young ball players would return to Houlton as grown men, and bring friends from away to meet Jack, and ask him to take them hunting and fishing.
Often heard saying “If you’re going to tell a bear story make sure you include a lot of bears”. Many bears and a myriad of other woodland creatures and characters dotted the landscape of the amazing stories he shared with friends and family throughout his life. Growing up in northern Maine there was an abundance of material and Jack was the consummate woodsman, hunter, fisherman and story teller. In that vein he worked as a professional guide, trapper and taxidermist. Jack lived his life like his stories filled with adventure, passion and humor. A true Renaissance Man jacks talents and skills were peerless. He was an accomplished athlete in many disciplines; basketball, long distance running, tennis and skiing. In his later years Jack was running daily into his 80s as well planting, maintaining and harvesting a garden and yearly he foraged huge quantities of Fiddleheads from his beloved Maine woods. His resourcefulness was immense.
Jack was a family man as well, and a skilled carpenter. I’ver the years he built a fine hunting lodge in the Haynesville Woods and two family camps along the shore of the Mattawamkeag Lake where he shared his love of nature with family and friends.
Owner of D.B. TV for over 50 years, Jack was the first provider of cable television in the southern Aroostook county Area which required the building towers to make the technology available to people in rural areas. His success in business afforded him and his family many world travel opportunities including Spain, Morocco, Barbados, the Bahamas and Hawaii and many more.
Jack is survived by his beloved wife of twenty two years, Christie Dobbins and their children: Cricket Griffith, and her husband Gwydion of Houlton, Reginald John Dobbins II, and Joseph Dobbins of Houlton.
Jack was predeceased by his first wife Mary, but survived by their children; Donna Greulich and her husband Richard of Exeter, NH; Mark Dobbins and his wife Olga of Sandston, Virginia; Dody Gammelgard and her husband Doug of Aptos, California, CA, Diana Anderson of Augusta, Jacque Rouse and husband Dean of Paradise, CA, Marcia Contrado of Newbury, MA, Maureen Peake of Houlton, Julie Delano and her partner Randy Chaloux Sr. of Benton, and Robin Dobbins of Augusta. He is also survived by nineteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Joseph Dobbins of Otisfield, Maine, David Dobbins of California, his sister Rose Estes of Oxford, Maine, Pam Wilkinson of Norway, Maine and Linda Dobbins of Derry, New Hampshire. He was predeceased by brothers Fredrick, Lionel, Ricky, and Robert and sisters Connie Estes and Nancy Dobbins and a granddaughter Brooke Anderson. Thanks to his friends in the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous Jack left this world with well over 20 years of sobriety.
Friends called 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, July 5, 2017 at the Dunn Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary of the Visitation Church with the Rev. Kent Ouellette celebrant. A committal with military honors took place at St. Mary’s Cemetery. The family invited relatives and friends for a time of refreshment at St. Mary’s Parish Center following the burial. Those who wish to remember Jack in a special way may make gifts in his memory to the Reginald “Jack” Memorial Fund, c/o Dunn Funeral Home, 11 Park St., Houlton, ME 04730. Online condolences and guest book: dunnfuneral.com