Robert "Bob" Wesley Dobson's Obituary
Robert (Bob) Wesley Dobson passed away at the age of 95 on June 10, 2026 in Pinellas Park, Florida, where he had resided for the last 55 years.
Bob was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1931 to parents William John Patrick Dobson and Florence Trombley. He was named after his father’s two younger brothers Robert and Wesley, both of whom died before the age of ten. He was the middle brother of five, one of which, Donald Patrick died soon after birth in 1933. John (Jack) and George (Mike) were the older two, born 1926 and 1927, while Gerald was born 1935. Bob was the last survivor of the five.
His father’s family were Irish immigrants from Belfast who came over by way of Canada in 1921, soon after the Spanish Flu and the end of World War I. They came in stages… first his grandfather Edward James Dobson, then his father a few months later, and then a few months after that his grandmother Mabella Winifride Dobson with the rest of the family (Kitty, Edward, and Albert). They settled in the Detroit area and began their new lives.
In 1925, his grandmother Mabella died suddenly. It was only 6 months before that she’d had her seventh child, Calvin Coolidge Dobson. She was only 38 years old.
Over a year and a half before, Bob’s father William married Florence Trombley, who’s family had been settled in Vermont for multiple generations after coming down from Canada. He was 18 and she was 20 and their first son Jack was born two and a half years later in 1926. Four and a half years after that Bob was born in 1931. His parents would die six months apart from each other in 1963.
The home that he was born into had its troubles and he left it in his early teens to try and build a life for himself. A few years after that he joined the army and found himself as a part of the special forces unit The Green Berets. It was in this group that he served his country both in Korea and Vietnam.
In the early 1950’s, he met Catherine Marhefkey of Warren, OH in the military, and soon thereafter they started a family. They would have seven children together before they divorced in the late 60’s. In the 70’s, he retired from the Army, moved to Florida where his brother was already living and found his way into the pool business. During that time he would also meet his second wife Susan and quit drinking for the rest of his life.
In Florida, he and Susan built a life together for the next 40 years, traveling all over the world and having countless adventures. She worked for the local government and he had his own business, Dobson’s Pools, which he ran out of his home. They loved to eat, loved to watch movies and swim in their pool, and loved each other deeply. She died in January of 2016 and he lived for another 10 years after, often stating that he was going to make it to 100. I’d say 95 is still a pretty good run, given that he survived multiple wars, multiple heart attacks, prostate cancer and all the other kinds of tragedies that life can throw at a person. No matter what, for as long as he lived, he was determined to keep on going and keep on living, until it was no longer up to him.
And now there can be peace.
He was predeceased by his first wife Catherine, his second wife Susan, his grandson Barak and his son Thomas and Thomas’ wife Mary. He is survived by his son Robert Dobson and his wife Joanne, his daughter Toni Denunzio and her husband Dominic, his daughter Kathy Natale and her husband James, his daughter Patty Durig and her husband Michael, his daughter Theresa Turgeon and her husband Dave, and his son James Dobson and his wife Kim. He is also survived by 23 grandchildren and 36 great grandchildren.
The funeral will take place on July 18, 2026 at 11am at Serenity Gardens in Largo, FL. We ask that only family be present for this. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Ben Dobson at 347-724-2660/benw.[email protected].
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