Stephen Mark Dobbs

1943 - 2016

Stephen Mark Dobbs

Stephen Mark Dobbs of San Rafael passed away on October 25, 2016. He took great pride in the variety of roles he played in life: Husband, father, grandfather, brother, son, uncle, scholar, educator, writer, historian, volunteer, and community leader, to name a few.

Born on June 5, 1943 in San Francisco, he was the eldest son of Harold and Annette Dobbs. He is survived by wife Victoria and their sons Joshua, Gabriel, and Noah; son Aaron (Marissa), and grandchildren Ruby and Elijah; and siblings Marilyn Higuera, Gregory Dobbs, and Cathy Goldstein, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Throughout his life, Stephen pursued his passions with curiosity and rigor. Stephen studied philosophy, history, education, and the arts at Stanford University, earning his Ph.D. in 1972. For the first part of his career, he focused on academia, primarily as a professor of arts and humanities at San Francisco State University. He also served stints as a visiting professor or scholar at Harvard, Stanford, University of London, University of Washington, and The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

In the late-'80s, Stephen turned his attention towards a second career in the foundation world as a Senior Program Officer at the Getty Center for Education in the Arts. In 1989, Stephen became Executive Director of the Koret Foundation in San Francisco, and two years later, he was named President & CEO of the Marin Community Foundation, which he ran for seven years.

For most of the past two decades, Stephen pursued a variety of writing interests and community work while continuing his work in the philanthropic community. He served as executive director of Taube Philanthropies, executive vice president of the Bernard Osher Foundation, and until recently, he remained a consultant to several private family foundations, including the Laszlo N. Tauber Family Foundation and the John & Lisa Pritzker Family Fund. He authored and/or contributed to a number of books on education, leadership, non-profit management, and history.

For over 40 years, he volunteered and held leadership positions in the Jewish and general communities. He served as president of the Mount Zion Health Fund, One Act Theater Company, Brandeis-Hillel Day School; a vice president of Congregation Emanuel and the Bureau of Jewish Education; and on the board of directors of the Jewish Community Federation, Lighthouse for the Blind, Goldman Institute on Aging, and Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Stephen possessed an unquenchable thirst for reading and learning, holding a special fascination for the history of his hometown and the Jewish community. After a 20-year absence, he returned to San Francisco State to teach his popular course on The City's history. Even outside the classroom, he never stopped pointing out landmarks or street names before offering comprehensive lessons on their histories.

Stephen's family gives special thanks for the wonderful care provided by Dr. James Davis and Dr. Georges Naasan.

Per Stephen's wishes, the family will hold a private memorial gathering at a later date. Contributions in Stephen's memory may be sent to the Harold Dobbs Cancer Research Fund at the Mount Zion Health Fund or to the charity of your choice.