Clarence "Jack" Lee Dobbs

C.L. “Jack” Dobbs, 94, took flight to Heaven September 28, 2019. Born in Dearborn, Michigan in 1925, Jack had flown planes and even soloed before graduating from Fordson High School in 1942. He attended Detroit Institute of Technology before reporting to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri for Army basic training where he qualified for the Army Air Corps (AAC).

Jack’s AAC class (43-C) was transferred to aerial gunner training after a surplus of pilots was determined. Though trained extensively on B-17 and B-24 aircraft, he was assigned to a B-29 and stationed in Guam. With two different aircrews, Jack completed 15 combat missions to Japan. The longest mission was over 17 hours to Akita, Honshu and back. He returned stateside as a hero and was honorably discharged in April of 1946.

Once home, Jack attended the General Motors Institute and became a field representative serving in various capacities from 1949 until 1974. From 1974 until his retirement in 1995, Jack operated a Cadillac-Rolls Royce dealership in Beachwood, Ohio. In 1986, Jack served as President of the Cleveland Automobile Dealers Association.

Many of these years were shared with his wife, Geraldine Chavey Dobbs, who passed away in 1995.

In 1996, Jack married Maxine (Fidler) Leffingwell. Jack and Maxine had met in 1943 when he was an Air Cadet in Springfield, Ohio. They moved to Hot Springs Village in 2002.

Jack’s volunteerism in Hot Springs Village was divided between the Shriners and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. With the VFW, he served as the Post Quartermaster for 13 years and was elected Arkansas District 9 Commander for two terms. Jack was also a Mason, a Kentucky Colonel, and a member of the American Legion. His numerous hours of volunteerism were recognized by the Village Voice in 2007 when he was awarded The Citizen of the Year.

Jack will be remembered by his wife, Maxine, as a true gentleman and a loving husband; and by his daughters, Jennifer Jacobson (Karl Kuckelheim) and Leigh Swann, as a loving father. His granddaughters Kathryn, Miranda, and Kendall Jacobson cannot imagine a world without their grandfather. When Jack married Maxine, he became the bonus dad to Robert Leffingwell, Christopher Leffingwell, Mary Heinze, Rebecca Taylor, and Barbara Flowers; and the bonus grandpa to Maxine’s twenty-five grandchildren. Jack will also be remembered by a beloved extended family and so many wonderful friends.

A celebration of Jack’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 5, 2019 at Village United Methodist Church with Reverend Chris Hemund officiating.

In lieu of flowers and other customary condolences, memorials may be made to VFW Home for Children, 3573 S Waverly Rd, Eaton Rapids, MI 48827 or the Shriners Hospital for Children, 3100 Samford Ave, Shreveport, LA 71103 (shrinershospitalforchildren.org).

Honorary pallbearers will be The Shrine Club, The American Legion, and the VFW Post 10483.

Online tributes and guestbook available at www.GrossFuneralHome.com.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to the nurses and staff of Kindred Hospice for their compassionate care.