In Memory of Rodney Mills Hobson - Celebration of Life 9/19/26 @ 11am

Rodney died at home on July 22, 2026. Rodney was born March 27, 1935, the only child of Malcolm Gannett Hobson and Dora Linwood (Tirrell) Hobson of Weymouth. 

Rodney grew up on Chard Street in Weymouth (where the truant officer knew where to find him) and graduated from Weymouth High School in 1953. He played for the Weymouth High School football team where he did a “bang-up job” as their center and was “an important cog in keeping Weymouth a schoolboy powerhouse.” (Quincy Patriot Ledger) He played on the WHS Class A Championship Team in the Gator Bowl in 1951. His high school athletic achievements led him to a life swerving scholarship at Williams College.

Rodney graduated from Williams College in 1957. The same day, he was commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Air Force. A week after graduation, he married Marilyn (“Merry”) Lewis who he met in high school. He flew F-86 Sabre Jets (and was a Mach Buster) and later B52’s as part of the Strategic Air Command during the Cold War. After Rod left the military, they moved back to Massachusetts where they raised their children in Cohasset. 

Rod was a pilot for United Airlines from 1964 to 1994. As a senior Captain for the airline, he was selected to fly United Airline’s inaugural flights to both Paris and Hong Kong. He learned German and Portuguese along the way to facilitate his world travel.

While raised as a Christian Scientist, through his wife he was introduced to Unitarianism. He was active in his church, the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Cohasset. Rod served on the Property Committee for over 30 years. He served on the Paul Pratt Memorial Library’s Board of Trustees, and he was one of the original directors of the Cohasset Library Trust. He served on the Cohasset Historical Society Board as well as the Alternative Energy Committee. In the mid 1970s, he helped raise the funds to purchase the wrestling mat at Cohasset High School which launched the wrestling team for the school. He was a long-time member of Cohasset’s Old Goats.

He was a self-taught sailor and a crack navigator. With Marilyn, he cruised extensively in Maine and on the Cape. He was a member of the Cohasset Yacht Club for over 50 years. He was a talented carpenter who built many small boats that are still in commission to this day.

Rod was predeceased by his wife of 65 years. He is survived by his five children: Richard Lewis Hobson; Abigail (Hobson) Alves and her husband Mark; Elizabeth (Hobson) Anderson and her husband Kirk; Susan (Hobson) Putziger and her husband Michael; and Peter Lewis Hobson and his wife Deirdre. He is survived by his nine grandchildren: Seth and Kellen Hobson; Melissa Hanna and Grace Alves; Jessica and Eric Anderson; Emily and Henry Dormitzer; and Oliver Hobson. He is survived by one great grandchild, Zena Marilyn Reinhard. 

Over the last year of his life, he was lovingly cared for by Martina Hoey, Ciara Murphy, Katie Murphy and the compassionate members of Murphy Home Care.

In many ways, Rodney’s life represents a now elusive American path from near poverty to a privileged life with a healthy family, a passel of grandchildren, and a full life with diverse opportunities, interests, and accomplishments.

A memorial service will be held on September 19 at 11am at the First Parish Meetinghouse in Cohasset. A reception will follow at the Parish House. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation of memory of Rodney Hobson to the First Parish in Cohasset (23 Main Street, Cohasset, MA 02025).