Paul Douglas Bobbitt

1927 - 2023

February 11, 1927 - May 21, 2023 The Rev. Paul Douglas Bobbitt forged relationships and changed lives throughout his life. His legacy is one of love for all people, for he believed that every person is cherished by a loving God.

Paul was born February 11, 1927 in the coal mining town of Minden, West Virginia to Luther William Bobbitt and Ethel Amanda Crutchfield Bobbitt. He had an older brother George William Bobbitt, and two half sisters, Ruth and Virginia Bobbitt. In 1944, Paul graduated from Oak Hill High School. He was in the Air Force until 1947. Paul then enrolled at Georgia Technical College to study electrical engineering. He joined the Baptist Student Union and realized he felt a call to dedicate his life to following Jesus so he transferred to Mercer University in Macon, GA. While at Mercer, Paul was introduced to Koinonia Farm, a Christian community founded by Clarence Jordan. This experience broadened Paul's understanding of his Christian call and was the root influence for his life-long commitment to social justice work and service to the community.

Paul graduated from Mercer University in 1951. He moved to New England to continue his Christian studies at Andover Newton Seminary in Newton, MA, where he graduated with a Masters in Divinity in 1955. He was ordained as a minister in the United Church of Christ. While at seminary, he met Beth Klemann and they were married in 1953. Paul was the Minister at First Congregational Church in Wells River, VT from 1955 until 1961. His fondness for Vermont continued even after he accepted a call to be Associate Minister at First Church of Christ in Hartford, CT. In 1961, he and Beth moved into a parsonage in West Hartford, CT. The family grew to include 6 children.

During Paul's 10 years at First Church (aka Center Church), he continued to inspire and lead his congregants to put their faith into action both in the church and beyond. He started the Blue Door, a coffee house ministry for city youth. Paul initiated annual youth workcamps in Appalachia. In 1969, Paul and leaders from 8 other inner city churches established Center City Churches. Now incorporated as Hands on Hartford, this agency has continued to provide essential services for low-income Hartford residents for more than 50 years.

In the early 1970s, Paul moved out of church-based ministries to work in the field of low-income housing. He was a property manager and later the President of Elderly Housing Management, a now state-wide non-profit providing low-income housing for seniors. It was in this work that he met Tina Rodriguez MacNeal. Friends for years, they married in 1994.

In the mid 1990s, Paul co-founded the Newport Foundation, a non-profit organization providing rehabilitation, long term care and hospice services for seniors. Newport bought Bickford Health Care Center in Windsor Locks, CT, where Paul served as President of the Board for 10 years. In 1998, Paul and colleagues founded the non-profit Chariots of Hope, a small volunteer-run agency that refurbished wheelchairs and distributed them. Paul and Tina were fundraising ambassadors for Chariots of Hope until it closed in 2017. He was 90 years old.

At home, Paul enjoyed house painting, working with wood, and tinkering with machines. He loved old cars, and had a special fondness for "Sally", his mother's 1964 Chevy which was driven for special summer time outings. Paul and Tina shared a keen eye for interior design, often using recycled artifacts. In 1998, he and Tina purchased a mountain-top property in Braintree, VT. This spot was their cherished second home for 33 years.

Paul and Tina's love for family was their deepest passion; they considered each member to be a blessing to them. Paul is predeceased by his grandchildren, Emily Weston, Christopher Bobbitt and his stepdaughter, Michelle Jarboe. Paul will be missed by his wife Tina Bobbitt, his children and their partners: Toby Bobbitt, Greg and MaryBeth Bobbitt, Wade Bobbitt, Audrey Weston, Stacey Bobbitt and Eric Block, Wendy and Ken Cavett, his stepson Tyger (Wendell Philip MacNeal IV) and wife Cheryl, his 15 grandchildren, his 10 great grandchildren; and his niece Sheila Herman and her husband John Herman.

Paul has been an active member of First Church of Christ (Center Church) in Harford for 62 years, There will be a memorial celebration of his life at the First Church of Christ in Hartford, 60 Gold Street, Hartford on Saturday, July 15 at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Paul's name to Hands on Hartford or to the First Church of Christ in Hartford.