Walter Edmund Hobson

HOBSON Walter Edmund Hobson, III passed away March 2, 2014, at the age of 86. He was predeceased by Ursula Stein Hobson his beloved wife of 67 years, his son James Hastings (Roberta) of Annapolis, Md. and his brother Neal Douglas Hobson. He is survived by his children: Nancy Getten (Thomas) of Houston, TX; W. Edmund, IV (Shelley) of Wilmington, NC; Patricia Hobson Pottle (Russ) of Dallas, PA; Holly Hobson of Charlotte, NC; and Constance Hobson (Dennis Phayer) of Mandeville, La., as well as his sister, Susan Hobson Murphy. He is also survived by six grandchildren: Elisabeth Getten Atwood (Chad), Douglas Vandever Getten (Jennie), Thomas Edmund Getten (Megan), Timothy Jordan Navarro (Becky), Charles Edmund Hobson, John Shelton Hobson and Hillary Alston Phayer, and six great-grandchildren. Ed was the son of the late Walter Edmund, Jr. and Lucille Thatcher Hobson. He was the oldest of three children. A native of New Orleans, he spent many years living in Annapolis, Maryland, and Urbanna, Virginia, before returning to the city of his birth in 1997. He was a longtime member of the Southern Yacht Club where he won many regattas in his Dragon Class keelboats. While residing in Annapolis he was a member of the Annapolis Yacht Club and the Sailing Club of the Chesapeake, and enjoyed racing and cruising on the Chesapeake Bay. He adored sailing and taking care of his many boats over the years. He was most happy with either a tiller or a varnish brush in his hand. Besides sailing Lake Pontchartrain and the Chesapeake, he also enjoyed sailing the Gulf of Mexico, the Rappahannock River, the New England coast, Lake Ontario and the Caribbean Sea on his own boats and those of his many friends. He was recognized for his navigational skills and enjoyed using and enhancing those skills as he sailed in unfamiliar waters. Ed loved classic wooden boats and had the good fortune to have sailed two Concordia yawls, Sazerac and Crescent, in his years living on the Chesapeake and Rappahannock. He took particular joy in joining with many other Concordias for regattas in Padanaram, Massachusetts. Ed had a keen interest in antiques which he shared with his family. He and Ursula had an antiques shop in Annapolis for several years. Ed graduated from Jesuit High School. He attended Tulane University and Southwestern Louisiana Institute. He worked in the furniture industry for over 40 years, primarily as a manufacturers' representative for various North Carolina furniture makers. His children especially wish to thank Donna Milne, a trusted friend and caregiver. They also wish to thank Dr. Leandro Area, the nurses and doctors at Ochsner/Baptist Hospital, and the caring staff of Passages. Visitation will be on Saturday, April 5, 2014 from 10:00 to 12:00 at Lake Lawn Funeral Home in New Orleans. Interment to follow in Metairie Cemetery at 12:15. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Jesuit High School, 4133 Banks Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70119, or the National Parkinson Foundation at Gift Processing Center, PO Box 5018, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5018 or online at http://www.parkinson.org/How-to-Help/Donation-Options. Please visit and sign the family guestbook at www.lakelawnmetairie.com.