Mary B. Hobein

Mary Bennett Hobein passed away peacefully at her home in Northglenn, Colorado on May 29th. She is survived by her husband Dale, her daughters Robbie of Denver (David Millis) and Jeanine Szabla of Gilbert, AZ (Richard), and grandsons Kelly, Tobin, and Robert. Special thanks to Denver Hospice.

By Jeanine Szabla and Robbie Hobein

Our mother was born in 1935, in New Haven, Connecticut. Her father took different jobs as a research scientist in her early years, and she moved to Florida, and then on to China Lake, California.

In high school, mom’s older brother John was struck with polio. Her parents thought it would be best if she went away to boarding school, so she spent her junior year in Hollywood at Immaculate Heart High School. When John recovered, she returned home for her senior year at Burroughs High in China Lake. She relayed to us fond memories of both schools.

Mom went on to the University of Arizona in Tucson. In 1957, she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in education. While there, she was a member of FST Chimes, Mortar Board, Spurs, the sorority Delta Gamma, and served as Treasurer of the Association of Women Students.

After graduating from college, mom taught elementary school in California for a couple of years, and then traveled to Germany to teach children in American Dependent’s schools from 1959-62. Those were children of American soldiers stationed in the vicinity of Munich and Mannheim. In 1962, she returned to the United States, to Denver, and taught in Munroe, Force, and Brown Elementary Schools, until 1970.

During her teaching at Brown, she had a good friend Donna, who introduced her to her brother Dale. They began dating, and were married in 1966. They celebrated 50 years of marriage in 2016.

In 1968, mom and Donna founded a business called “Posies, Inc.,” a paper flower company. They worked diligently together in the business for several years.

In 1970, she and dad moved to Northglenn, and it was around that time that mom started attending, and then became a member at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.

Also in 1970, a daughter Robbie was born, followed by my brother Mark in ’72 and Jeanine in ’74.

Mom stayed home with us until we were all in school, and then she returned to school to become a real estate agent. She worked for many years through the 80’s, 90’s, and even into the early 2000’s with Don and Sherry Dinkel at Century 21.

She was involved in many community events, service activities, and volunteer work- and she didn’t wait until she retired. It was a part of her life from early on.

From 1973-79 she was a volunteer at Bal Swan's Children's Center, assisting in numerous projects, including arranging clothing sample sales, craft sales, and luncheons, and soliciting items for sale at the annual Ball. In 1978, she was nominated to Channel 9's “Nine Who care” award because of this work.

She was a member of the Board of Directors of Adams County Association for Retarded Citizens from 1970-1979.

She served on the Northglenn City Council's Advisory Committee on Group Homes, and in 1980, O’Dell Barry, the mayor at that time, appointed her to draw up the city's rules for such homes.

In 1992, she and her business partner Don Furakawa recruited Michael Young of the Denver Broncos, and they staged a musical benefit for the North Area Assistance Center of Catholic Community Services. The event was held at Immaculate Heart.

From 1985 to 2010, mom volunteered as a Victim’s Advocate for the cities of Northglenn and Thornton. She received a series of Unit Citations for those services, and Certificates of Appreciation, including the Ray McKinnon Award for the 17th judicial district, and in 2000, the Dedicated Service Award from the Mayor and City Council of Northglenn.

In case you were wondering what a Victim’s Advocate does, this is the person who steps in to help you after are the victim of a crime – a rape, a beating, a robbery, or on the receiving end of an accident. A police officer takes the report, but then what? Who do you talk to at 2am when your husband has been killed in a car wreck? Who is going to offer comfort to the parent of a 2 year old who just drowned in a ditch? Mom spent many hours being on call, and going out at all times of the day or night to offer help to those that needed it. She had what the military historian Shelby Foote called “four-o-clock in the morning courage.”

In later years, she was also a member of Minus Two, bridge groups, Lunch Bunch, and Silver Threads. She helped at funerals, and picked up the Starbucks donations for the food bank.

Every Sunday, come rain or shine, snow or sleet, she made it to Mass, and for many years attended daily Mass and weekly Adoration.

We’ve told you a little about her life, but we’d also like to share with you who she was to us.

She was a kind and loving mother, but also strict. It must have been the teacher in her. She somehow motivated us to always do our best in school and at everything else too. We can’t tell you quite how she did it, she just did.

When we were sick, she would bring us paper dolls and ginger ale. At the beginning of every school year, we went on special shopping trips for new clothes and shoes. She made us feel special at every birthday. The first phone call on your birthday was always mom, singing “Happy Birthday” when you’d pick up.

She signed us up for tap dancing, ballet, gymnastics, soccer, basketball, volleyball, piano lessons, skiing lessons, music camps, and sports camps, and then attended every single recital, game, match, meet, play, and school event we had. She made thousands of lunches, arranged transportation to all of our activities, and chaperoned trips.

Mom had a tireless work ethic. She got up early and worked late. We have not as fond memories of her unloading the dishwasher in the wee hours of the morning.

She loved to host bridge, dinners, and holiday get togethers. She always put forth extra efforts to make sure you were comfortable and cared for.

She was fiercely protective and proactive for her children. She spent many hours trying to find the best programs, schools, care and resources to help my disabled brother Mark – who passed away 2 years ago.

Our pastor has said, “You are never more like Jesus than when you give and when you serve,” and our mother modeled giving and serving.

When she got breast cancer almost 14 years ago, she drove 500 miles to deliver the news in person. She knew that it was not the kind of news you want to get by phone. She persevered through a double mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation, and then declared that every year she was still alive that she wanted to go on a mother/daughter trip. And we did, through thick and thin.

We got our picture taken with Elvis in Las Vegas, toured the 17 mile drive in Pebble beach, hiked beautiful trails in Sedona, walked the streets of Cheyenne like cowgirls, rode the ski lifts at Crested Butte and Flagstaff in the summertime, played along the shoreline at Coronado Island, and meandered through many areas of the Rockies.

Cancer, as awful as it is, drew us close. Instead of talking every week or two, we talked nearly every day of the past 14 years.

Our mother was the master of seeing the positive in things. She rarely complained when life handed her lemons, and she looked on the bright side and counted her blessings – all the way to the end of her life. We know we will miss her dearly, but let us all find comfort in knowing she was a faithful servant, and she is home now, in heaven, with Jesus.

A memorial Mass will be held on Friday, June 23rd at 10:30 a.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Northglenn. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Mary Hobein Memorial Fund, at Horizon's North Credit Union, 11455 Pearl St. Northglenn, CO 80233.

Mary was a 20+ year volunteer as a Victim's Advocate. Contributions will be used to purchase gift cards that will be distributed by Advocate's to victims of crimes and accidents.