Anne O'Regan Tobin
Anne was born in Sittingbourne, Kent, England on December 7, 1934. She died peacefully, at home in Seattle, on August 26, 2019 surrounded by family.
She is survived by her best friend and husband of 57 years, Bill; daughters, Caroline Corr (Chris) and Jennifer Tobin; sons, Guy and Paul Tobin (Elisa); and five grandchildren, Caitlin (Corr) Donnelly, Connor Corr, Taylor, Kit and Will Tobin.
Anne is an alumna of the Convent School of the Nativity, Sittingbourne and also studied at the Convent of the Nativity at Ville-Neuve-les-Avignon, Provence, France and graduated from St. Godric's College, Hampstead, London.
The O'Regan home was 46 miles from London, and 34 miles from the White Cliffs of Dover. When Nazi Germany began the London Blitz in 1944 every day hundreds of V1 Rockets, launched in France, whizzed over their home on the way to London. The O'Regans frequently moved into an underground bunker with 4 cots during the war.
Anne had a passion for adventure and had a great desire to "see the world." She lived and worked in London, Dublin, St. John, Newfoundland and Montreal. On a trip to New York City, when she was 25, she visited her first cousin who quickly lined up 5 bachelors to meet his beautiful cousin, Anne. On the fourth night she went to Bill Tobin's bachelor pad where he tried to impress her with his mixologist skills at the large bar he had handmade, followed by an Italian dinner with waiters singing love songs. They both say it was love at first sight! Anne returned to England and a few months later moved to Montreal to work. Over the next year they had 8 dates in New York, Washington D.C., Montreal and West Hampton where Bill proposed on Labor Day 1961. They married on December 2nd of that year. They had an apartment on East 75th St., Manhattan and welcomed baby Caroline in 1962. In 1963 Bill accepted a consulting position in Seattle with Providence Health and Services. Their first residence was in Bellevue and in 1965 they moved to the Madison Park neighborhood of Seattle where they have lived ever since. In 1966, Anne's parents moved from England and spent half the year in Seattle and the other half with their son's family in Canada.
Anne was a member of the Seattle Tennis Club and Broadmoor Golf Club. She was a member of the Hillside Guild of Seattle Children's for 25 years; was treasurer of Carmelite Sisters' Monastery Guild for 30 years and her spiritual home for 54 years was St. Therese Church, Madrona where she co-chaired a major capital campaign.
Anne played tennis and netball in her youth and rose to the AA flight at the Seattle Tennis Club. She loved whipping her husband in tennis singles! She was not as proficient at golf, but miraculously got a hole in one at Broadmoor. Her children were delighted to see her name, the only female, in a list of sports statistics in the Seattle Times.
She was a self-taught gourmet cook. Her one extravagance was her stash of over 200 cookbooks. The family delighted in Anne's creations and both daughters share her passion for cooking today. Family dinners have always been a cherished tradition and will continue.
Anne started a career in residential real estate after her children left the nest. She retired with Bill in their early 60s and they began their travel odyssey for the next 20 years.
Her mother, father and brother Dr. Brian O'Regan preceded Anne in death.
A friend wrote to the family:
"I am so sorry. Your Mom was such an elegant, gentle, beautiful, kind, caring, funny, compassionate soul...the Perfect resume for an Angel."
Anne's photo, on her 84th Birthday by Guy Tobin
A Celebration of Anne's Life will
be Friday, October 4th at 11am at
St. Therese Catholic Church
900 35th Ave., Seattle, 98122
Followed by Lunch
Remembrances may be made to the Scholarship Fund of St. Therese Catholic Academy.
Hoffner Fisher & Harvey
Guestbook at harveyfuneral.com
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Published in The Seattle Times on Sept. 8, 2019
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