Robert Dobbins

Robert Fremont Dobbins,"Bob" passed away, September 2, 2017 after a long journey with MS. He was born in Battle Creek, Michigan and graduated from Battle Creek Lakeview High School and attended Kellogg Community College and Western Michigan University.Bob served in the Army and was stationed in West Berlin during the Berlin Crisis of 1961. While in Germany he played on the army basketball team. He was a member of the American Legion and Pinellas Realtor Association. He worked in sales positions in Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and Marshall area before moving to Traverse City to start his 30 year Real Estate career. Relocating to Florida in 1985, he continued his Real Estate career as district sales manager with Merrill Lynch and a realtor with Remax Mutual Realty.Bob had a passion for the beach, shelling, boating, fishing and sports. He had a love and fascination for history, particularly WWII, the old west and indians. He was a lifelong University of Michigan fan and Lions football fan and always wore his University of Michigan and Lions hats on game day. Tampa Bay Rays were his favorite baseball team and he never missed a game and also wore his Rays hat for every game. He considered those hats good luck for his favorite teams, he was a real collector of hats.Music was always a big part of his life from classical to Pink Floyd. Pink Floyd being his favorite. He was a master storyteller with a knack for making the ordinary become extraordinary through his storytelling. Bob always had a smile and a story for all he came in contact with and those stories will always be classic memories.Survived by his wife, Betty; brother, Charles; stepson, Scott Davis; stepdaughter, Kimberly Braswell; granddaughter, Ashley Pavan; grandson, Matthew Davis.Preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Mary Jane; and sister, Mary Alice Dennis.A graveside memorial service in Bob''s honor will take place at 11:00am on October 28, 2017 at Oakridge Cemetery in Marshall, Michigan.The family is being served by the Craig Kempf Funeral Home, 723 US 27 North, Marshall Chapel.In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to Suncoast Hospice. Assistance with memorials is available at the Kempf Funeral Home, Marshall Chapel.Please leave the family a personal message and sign the online guest book at www.kempffuneralhome.com.