With deep sorrow we announce the passing of Philip "Phil" Tobin, age 92, of Somerville MA and Ellsworth, ME, on Saturday July 27th, 2024. He was born in Portland, Maine November 11, 1931 to Timothy Brush Tobin of Boston, Massachusetts and Jacklyn Small of Lubec, Maine. He is predeceased by his brother Dwight Tobin, and survived by his sister Diane Benner and family of California, nephew Sean Tobin and family of Washington State, as well as his wife, Cynthia Tobin of Somerville MA, and children Anya Tobin-Nasser, Toby Casey, Erika Fellinger, Heather McInnis, Joshua Tapman, Susan Tobin, and Timothy Tobin as well as numerous grandchildren.

Phil was a writer, musician, laborer, entrepreneur, worm digger, teacher, amateur lawyer, Latin scholar, and storyteller. He was Living History of past times that shaped this country and which should not be forgotten. Born in Portland Maine in 1931, he and his family moved frequently and suffered, as did so many, the trials and hardships of the Great Depression. Throughout his life, Phil recounted vivid memories of boyhood, both good and bad, after settling in Lubec, Maine. He is testament to the perseverance of people during this time in the face of abject poverty. He could recall when lobster was "prison food" and recounted once, being put temporarily with his brother into an orphanage, because his mother couldn't feed them.

He recalled stubbornly skipping school at age 6 or 7 which led to his father and uncle reluctantly bringing Phil along as they traveled across the USA, painting mailboxes or what work came along, to survive. Working the migrant circuit in California was a way of life with much hardship and, as the 7 year old Phil recounts, adventure as well.

Phil described (and would tell anyone who would listen) skipping school (again) to see moving pictures, hustling newspapers, and picking cotton alongside his father and uncle. In one poignant memory, he recalls nosing around in the tar paper shack of "Mr. John" as his father socialized with a "writer" (What is a "writer" Dad? he asks his father!) whom Phil later realized was almost certainly John Steinbeck, doing his research for The Grapes of Wrath. Years later, when Phil did finally have formal schooling and read the novel, he saw mentioned "Tobin" and "two men and a boy". Only then he realized the full import of that boyhood encounter.

Despite a tumultuous childhood, Phil finally did receive formal schooling in high school and progressed quickly, studying Latin and English. He could read Latin with the ease that most of us read English! He enlisted in the Air Force and was deployed to the Korean War. Even in his later years, he still could rattle off Korean phrases and recount stories of numerous exploits of military life on base. He said that time overseas taught him to honor the preservation of Democracy and respect the strength of our institutions and founding principles of liberty and justice for all people.

After discharge, he was admitted to Bates College on the GI Bill. Being older than most undergraduates and having been through a war, he adamantly refused to comply with the required "physical ed" requirement, but went on to get his degree in English. As a young man, he also spent time with his aunt in St. Albans and Swanton, VT, where he always felt welcomed and where "his people" are at rest.

Phil went on to do many things, including working for Honeywell, sales, hotel development in Maine, and invention of a "restaurant check" with a foolproof addition method to reduce errors. He composed music and wrote "jingles" for public service announcements and marketing. Up until his passing, he continued to write and compose and market public service messages across the country, including for COVID safety.

He had two children, Timothy and Susan, with his first wife and then his son, Toby. Later Phil married Cynthia Hargraves of Blue Hill, Maine. He became step-father to four additional children – Erika, Heather, Micah, Josh – and a father again when Anya was born in 1982.

Phil is remembered as many things: a teacher in Downeast Maine, a clam and worm digger, hotel entrepreneur, Christmas wreath company founder, and writer/composer. He always had a Big Idea right around the corner. He had a strong interest in law and pursued rigorous self-education, leading him to self-represent in multiple cases and ultimately write and publish a book "Twenty-five Doctrines of Law Everyone Should Know".

In 1996 Phil settled in Ellsworth, Maine, where he continued to write and market jingles and pursue study of law, and lived there until 2022, when he relocated to Somerville Massachusetts, to an assisted living facility near family. He remarried the love of his life, Cynthia Hargraves-Tobin, in 2023, and spent the last year of his life enjoying companionship and comfort. He continued to be independent and creative and to tell stories to his caregivers and acquaintances up until his peaceful passing on July 27, 2024. He passed at home after a brief period of comfort care, surrounded by loved ones.

An On-line obituary and commemoration of his life will be held through the George L. Doherty Funeral Home in Somerville, MA. In addition to the on-line obituary, a service with military honors will be planned at the Riverside Cemetery in Swanton, VT at a later date.

Phil was supportive of Veteran's services, the impact of education and music on individual lives, and environmental preservation. If you would like to donate in his honor, please see the recommended list of charities:

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in Phil's name to one of the following Nonprofits:

1.Bob Woodruff Foundation to support veterans: Bob Woodruff Foundation to support veterans

2. Room To Read

3. Clean Air Task Force

If anyone has any photo's of Phil, the family is kindly asking to upload these memories to https://photos.app.goo.gl/p9TGVA3GJaeHJt9T6