William Dobbyn

William "Bill" J. Dobbyn, 72, was born on June 02, 1951, at home in Kailua, HI, to Robert J. Dobbyn (1920-2004) and Rose N. Kama Dobbyn (1924-1996).  He was the third of their four children, which also included: Robert J Dobbyn, Jr., (1948-1994), Catherine Dobbyn Viquelia (1950). and Alice M. Dobbyn (1954).

In December, 1959, Bill and his family moved to Hacienda Heights, CA, where he attended Kwis Elementary School, Newton Jr. High School, and Los Altos High School.  Bill graduated in 1969 from Los Altos High School.  While in high school, Bill played football his freshman year and participated in the school choir.  Bill attended Mt. San Antonio Community College for one year after high school.

In 1971 Bill married his childhood sweetheart, Jeannette Marie Kunzi Dobbyn.  Bill and Jeannette had two sons:  Michael W. Dobbyn (1979) and Mitchell R. Dobbyn (1986).  Bill loved spending time with his "boys" and they spent many days out on the golf course.  They also enjoyed baseball, surfing, snowboarding, bowling, camping, riding horses, and target shooting.  Bill loved animals and most especially dogs.  Bill was known as the "dog whisperer".

Bill went to work in the offshore oil exploration industry in 1970.  He began his career with Global Marine Inc.  Global Marine Inc., was subsequently purchased by Santa Fe International and then by Transocean. Bill retired from Transocean in July, 2013.

Bill is survived by his wife, Jeannette; son, Michael W. Dobbyn and his fiance, Helen Golden; and Mitchell R. Dobbyn and his wife Brittnye L. Dobbyn.  He has three grandchildren:  Mykaela Rose Sterris (1997), Deegan W. Dobbyn (2018) and Kailee M. Dobbyn (2022).  

After battling stage-4 lung cancer for 18 months, Bill passed away December 26, 2023. He was surrounded by his family at his home in La Verne, CA at the time of his passing.

Arrangements are under the care of Forest Lawn, Covina Hills, CA.  Services will be held at the Church of our Heritage on the Forest Lawn grounds on Saturday, January 27, 2024, at 2:30 pm.  A reception will immediately follow the services at Kellogg West on the Campus of California Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA.

Your presence would be most welcomed by the family.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, please consider a donation in Bill's memory to one of the charities the family has selected:  Inland Valley Humane Society, Cedars Sinai Hospital, American Cancer Society, or American Lung Association.