Josephine Bobinski

6/14/1931 - 9/25/2025

Niantic - Josephine Grabowski Bobinski of Niantic, died peacefully Sept. 25, 2025. Born in Stamford, June 14, 1931, she was the daughter of Walter and Bertha Grabowski.

She is survived by, daughters, Virginia "Ginny" Wilson and her husband Kenneth of Guilford, and Jean-Anne Amado and her husband Daniel of Lucas, Texas; her eight grandchildren: Kristen, Paul, Alexandra, Melanie, Brian, Matthew, Joseph and Julian; and 12 great-grandchildren; and her brother Walter Grabowski. She was predeceased by her husband, Paul Bobinski; her son, Joseph; and her siblings, Helen, Henrietta and Thaddeus.

Josephine and Paul met in Stamford, where their Polish families resided. In 1953, they married and moved to Niantic to begin their legacy, the Niantic Dairy Queen. From the beginning, Josephine was always an integral part of the business. In the early days, as Paul taught, Josephine worked during the day with their children growing up in the backroom of the Dairy Queen. Throughout the past 73 years, they have provided employment, mentoring, and a sense of work ethic to over 250 teenage employees. Working at the Dairy Queen was, and still is, a family affair.

Josephine was a hard worker and very rarely said "No," whether it was lending a hand or offering her time to those in need. She was a volunteer in the elementary school library and the visiting nursing board. As a young girl, Josephine learned to sew and became a talented seamstress making clothes for herself and her daughters, as well as curtains and drapes. She enjoyed painting and crafting and always had various projects going. She thoroughly enjoyed the sun and could be found outside whenever the weather was nice maintaining her yard and tending to her flower gardens. In the winter, she could be found at their Vermont home hosting family and friends and cooking. In their later years, she and Paul embraced their love for travel - cruising the Western and Eastern Caribbean, traveling to Europe, Alaska, the Panama Canal, Aruba, and Florida.

Friends and family are invited to call from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, at the Neilan Funeral Home, 48 Grand Street, Niantic. A Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Matthias Church, 317 Chesterfield Road, East Lyme. Interment will follow at Union Cemetery, Niantic. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Niantic Public Library or the East Lyme Historical Society.