Obituary of Ruth E. Dobbins

Ruth Elisabeth Dobbins, of Woburn, formerly of Woburn and Wakefield, passed away on Thursday morning, December 21. She was 96 years of age. Ruth was the daughter of the late Andrew, and the late Catherine (Porter) Dobbins. She was a graduate of Woburn schools and went on to study at Burdett Business School and Bentley College. Prior to her retirement, Ruth worked as a secretary at Dynamics Research in Wilmington. Born and raised in Woburn, she moved to Wakefield in 1978. Ruth had been a resident of Benchmark Senior Living, Woburn for the past few years. Ruth was a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church in Woburn. She was also a hospital volunteer at the Deaconess Hospital, the Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, and the Winchester Hospital. Ruth was a good-natured, patient, gentle and kind person who, over her many years, had a number of active friendships from her neighborhood, the senior centers she frequented, her life when she was active in Trinity Church Singles Group, and her extended family of cousins, among other places. She often had at least one cat companion, sometimes more, who she was very fond of. Ruth is survived by her nieces, Derrith Walker Haywood and Sidney Clukey of Mississippi and her cousin, William Cassidy of England; she was predeceased by numerous cousins. She is also survived by family members Marlene Wolfe and Janet Scott Mitchell of Reading, Debbie Dobbins of Belmont, Susan Budrewicz of Shelburne Falls, William Hanson of Sterling, Kenneth Scott of Topsfield, all MA; Catherine Dobbins Ryan of Washington, DC and Marilyn Stachelczyk of Ashville, NC. A funeral service will be held at the Graham Funeral Home, 3 Arlington Rd., Woburn on Saturday, December 30th at 11:00 am, with an hour of visitation prior to the service from 10:00-11:00 am. Burial will be at the Woodbrook Cemetery in Woburn. Contributions in Ruth’s memory may be made to PAWS (Protection of Animals in Wakefield, 411 Lowell St., Wakefield, MA 01880 (www.pawswakefieldma.org/donate).