Helen M. Hobbs passed peacefully at home on January 19, 2021, the birth date of her late husband, Kenneth Hobbs.  She was ninety-five years old.  A member of the "Greatest Generation", Helen was an independent woman who loved and was loved deeply by family, friends, members of her varied communities, and pet dogs. She was a woman who was always ahead of her times.  She was defined by her wisdom and insight as she connected with people on a deep level to provide guidance and support to those who grappled with life's biggest challenges.

Helen moved to Marshfield in 1953 when she bought her home in Ferry Hill with her GI bill, a benefit she earned while serving in the Women's Army Corp in WWII.

Helen grew up in Dorchester.  When she moved to Marshfield with her two very young children, it was a sleepy town of three thousand people.  Though she couldn't swim and had a respectful fear of the water, she took daily comfort in the view of the South River, Humarock, and the ocean.

Helen worked for the law firm of Thaxter, Needham, and Beckwith in Cohasset in the 1960's and early 1970's.  She then managed the Boston office for the Massachusetts Bicentennial Committee, 1974-1976.  She worked hard to coordinate the state-wide celebrations and the visit from President Ford to the Old North Bridge in the town of Concord, home to the American Revolution.

During the later part of her career, she worked as a trial manager for the Plymouth County Court system in the Superior Court in Brockton.  Helen was celebrated by prosecutors and litigators alike for her sense of fairness and congeniality.  She had a natural affinity for the law.  Had she been born a generation or two later, Helen may have become a great attorney.

Helen's strongest trait was that she was a survivor.  The father of her two children left when they were babies. She remarried during the Korean War.  Her husband was away serving when she moved her children from Dorchester to a cottage on Humarock Beach.  She learned how to drive a car in a week, so that she could establish her family home on Ferry Hill.

In 1960, she married again to Kenneth Hobbs, an electrician from Scituate.  Her children Corinne (Cory) and Dean both graduated from Marshfield High School and the University of Massachusetts.  Her son Dean's education was interrupted when he served in the Army in Germany, during the war in Vietnam.

During the late 1960's, Helen became fascinated with alternative ways of explaining life and the universe.  This otherwise no-nonsense woman took classes in astrology and learned how to create personalized astrological charts for family and friends.  She also learned how to interpret Tarot cards and decipher numerology.  Family and friends alike called upon her asking to be surrounded by her magical "white light" for protection, healing, and guidance through life's travails.

Before her spiritual needs took her in an alternative direction, she was a devout Episcopalian and served as Treasurer of Saint Andrews Church in Hanover.  In her later years, Helen also served on the Board of the YWCA in Marshfield and received the organization's Outstanding Service Award in 2011.  She also volunteered extensively for her former son-in-law, Chester Atkins, who was a member of Congress from 1984-1992 and for daughter, Cory, when she served as a State Representative for the 14th Middlesex District from 1999-2019.

Helen also traveled extensively.  She was a member of a choir group that performed in Siberia during the time of the Soviet Union.  In the 1980s, she explored the Greek Islands, Israel and Turkey. She accompanied her daughter on trips to Rome, Ireland, Spain, Canada, and Bermuda.  She spent a month in Oaxaca, Mexico with her grandson, Dean Atkins and studied at the local university.  She danced at the White House at the Christmas Ball for Members of Congress in 1991.

Helen was deeply loved and respected by her six grandchildren. She took great joy in participating in the important milestones in their lives, including officiating the wedding ceremonies of both of her granddaughters.

Helen is predeceased by her parents, Helen and George H. Sharpe, her brothers, George and Arthur Sharpe, as well as her beloved son, Dean S. Hobbs.  She is survived by her daughter, Corinne Atkins of Concord, MA; her daughters-in-law, Caroline Hobbs of Marshfield, and Patricia Brennan Finnie of Searsport, ME; her stepson, Atwood Hobbs of Winterport, ME; two grandchildren Dean Atkins (his wife Meredith Atkins) and Casey Atkins; four step-grandchildren, Shannon Hobbs Cipro, Nathan Hobbs, Taylor Hobbs, Parker Hobbs, and their spouses; and eleven great-grandchildren.

A Zoom service will be held on Sunday, January 31st at 1:00 pm.

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In Lieu of flowers, please send donations to the North and South Rivers Watershed Assoc., PO Box 43, Norwell, MA 02061.

To leave a message of condolence for the family please visit the website macdonaldfuneralhome.com