Obituary: James M. Tobin

James M. Tobin, at 78

James M. “Jim” Tobin passed away on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, from complications of Polycystic Kidney Disease. He was 78.

He was born and raised in Cambridge, where he attended Cambridge High and Latin School and met his future wife ,Mary Bernadette (Travers) Tobin. Mr. Tobin moved his family to Hull in 1971. He always said it was the best move he ever made.

Mr. Tobin was an environmentalist, a fiscal conservative, town activist, volunteer, dedicated public official, and above all, he had unquestionable commitment to the people of Hull. He has often thanked his family members for their patience and understanding that allowed him to pursue his many endeavors helping the people of Hull.

Mr. Tobin’s story begins in 1979, when he was elected to the Hull Board of Assessors. He was again elected in 1982, 1985, and 1988, serving for 11 years, many as chairman.

In 1988 Mr. Tobin was appointed by Gov. Michael Dukakis to serve for a three-year term on the state board that oversees the Department of Environmental Management. In 1990, he was elected as a selectman for a one-year term. In 1992, he was elected again for a three-year term and chosen by his peers as chairman.

As a member and past chairman of the Hull Democratic Town Committee for more than 40 years, Mr. Tobin worked tirelessly for just about every Democratic candidate. He was also the chairman of Co-Op 6, which was made up of several Democratic Town Committees in the Norfolk and Plymouth County senatorial districts. In 1997, he received the Democrat of the Year Award in recognition of his commitment to the Democratic Party from U.S. Congressman Bill Delahunt. In 1999, he was appointed to Hull’s advisory board. In 2010, Mr. Tobin retired from the advisory board after being appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick as the state’s representative on the Hull Redevelopment Authority for a five-year term, where he assumed the duties as its treasurer.

In 2014, he was presented with the Hull Hero Award in recognition as an outstanding role model for volunteerism and dedication to the Hull community. In 2015, Mr. Tobin was again appointed by the Republican governor, Charles Baker, to serve another five-year term on the Hull Redevelopment Authority, again as its treasurer, and then again 2020.

Not all of Mr. Tobin’s life was politics and volunteering. He was employed by AC&S Co. for 25 years and provided technical supervision on job sites throughout New England. He was also on the executive board for Local #6 Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers Union.

In 1996, a serious health issue forced him to retire. He was diagnosed with PKD – Polycystic Kidney Disease. In 1999, he finally received a new kidney from an unexpected place – the transplant would come from Bernadette, his ex-wife at that time. He was forever grateful to Bernadette for giving him many more years to enjoy his family. The two were remarried shortly after this noble, selfless act of love.

After Mr. Tobin’s transplant, his health improved and he was able to go back to work, again doing what he loved to do best, helping people. He was hired by the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds, and retired from the Registry in 2010 to spend more time with his wife, two daughters, and five granddaughters.

He loved spending time with his family on Nantasket Beach and kayaking on the Weir River behind his home. Throughout his life, the most important thing to him was his family. He worked two jobs most of his life to provide the best life possible for his wife and two daughters. Loving his children and five wonderful granddaughters made him the happiest, most grateful and proudest Papa on Earth. With all his accomplishments in life, having a loving family was always a top priority to him.

For the last couple of years, the family would vacation in Florida and take cruises to the Bahamas together. He enjoyed almost every opening game at Fenway he could with his brother Francis, and carried on that tradition with his daughters and grandchildren. He spent countless hours studying his family genealogy and his Irish heritage. In his retirement, he always said, “I have the best of both worlds, living in Hull in the summer and spending the winters in Jupiter, Florida.”

He will forever be missed by his wife, Bernadette, whom he married twice, first for 25 years and again after his kidney transplant for 14 years. 

Mr. Tobin was a loving and dedicated father to his daughters, Michelle Tobin Gill of Whitman and Bernadette Tobin of Abington, also the loving grandfather (PaPa) to Olivia and Fiona Gill of Whitman and Amanda, Allison, and Andrea Daley of Abington.

He was the son of the late Francis J. and Ann E. (Riley) Tobin of Cambridge. He was predeceased by brothers Francis X. Tobin and John J. Tobin. He will be missed by his brother William E. Tobin of Melrose, and will be remembered by his closest sibling, Helen Tobin Clancy, and his three nieces and their families: Sandra Snow, Cindi and Kurt Carlson, and Pam and Ronald Rotondo. He leaves a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Pat and Frank Macdonald, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and countless friends and associates.

Visiting hours were held on Wednesday. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at the Pyne Keohane Funeral Home, 21 Emerald St., Hingham, at 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, June 8

prior to the Funeral Mass in St. Mary’s Parish in St. Ann’s Church at 10:30 a.m. Burial in Hull Village Cemetery.

Visit www.Keohane.com for online condolences. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation, 8330 Ward Parkway, Suite 510, Kansas City, MO 64114.