Geraldine, known to all as Gerry, leaves behind her much-loved nephew Brian, as her last few years living with memory loss come to a gentle end. She lost her older brother Peter in 2004, and her beloved niece Maureen to a traffic accident in 1984.
Gerry was born in the Nakuru War Memorial Hospital in Nakuru, Kenya, north-west of Nairobi. Her Irish parents Henry and Dymphna were trying to make a go of farming on 600 acres. The farm ultimately failed, but Kenya gave Gerry glorious life-long memories of African wildlife roaming freely. Foreseeing stormy political times the Dobbins returned to Ireland in 1945, finally settling again as
farmers in 1947 on BC's South Pender Island. Gerry graduated from St. Margaret's School in Victoria in 1947, ranking first in BC with a 96.8 per cent average. She attended the University of
British Columbia, the library school at the University of Toronto, and returned to work at UBC in 1956. Her 34-year library career included 23 years with the library's computer systems development group.
Gerry led Girl Guide groups, played badminton, lawn-bowled with skill, and bathed in classical music whenever possible. She was a life-long Anglican, singing alto in choirs, bringing her calmness, practicality and good humour to parish discussions, and taking on vital but unglamorous tasks such as weekly proof-reading the Sunday bulletin with her meticulous librarian's eye.
As an early adopter to the uses of emerging analogue and ultimately digital technology, Gerry was the moving force behind Christ Church Cathedral's, "Sermon Tape" ministry from the 1980s through to the early 2000s. Carefully recording, making copies and skillfully archiving sermons preached at the Cathedral.
Invested into the Order of the Diocese of New Westminster (ODNW) in the inaugural year of 2009, Gerry's Citation read:
Gerry is a faithful servant of the parish & the diocese and has maintained a connection with the continent of her birth, Africa, through support of the PWRDF & Anglicans in Mission.
A Memorial Service will be Celebrated at Christ Church Cathedral, February 22, 2pm.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Maureen Dobbin Scholarship, Department of History, University of Victoria, would be welcomed.
IMAGE
Gerry receives congratulations from Bishop Michael Ingham following her investiture into the ODNW, November 2009.
Photo: Wayne Chose
(prepared with files from Walkey and Company Funeral Directors)