William Dean Dobbins

William Dean "Rip" Dobbins, 83, of Wolf Laurel, North Carolina, died November 7, 2010. Born in Fort Worth, Texas, he was the son of the late Delia and Keith Dobbins. Mr. Dobbins lived most of his younger years in Louisiana. He graduated from Berman High School in New Orleans, where he served as drum major and was elected to Boys' State. In 1949 and 1950 he received Bachelor's and Master's degrees in geology from Louisiana State University. There he was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. As a member of the Boxing Tigers of L.S.U., he lettered in Boxing. In 1964, after employment as Chief Geologist with Delhi-Taylor Oil Company in Corpus Christi, Texas, he founded his own oil exploration company-Geological Resources. In Corpus Christi he was active as a vestryman in All Saints Episcopal Church, Toastmasters International, Corpus Christi Country Club, and served as president of the Corpus Christi Geological Society. Active in sports, he enjoyed golf, tennis and skiing. In 1988 he and his wife Ann Kerr Dobbins, retired to the North Carolina mountain resort of Wolf Laurel, where he was a member of the Wolf Laurel Country Club and president of the Property Owners' Association. He is survived by his wife, Ann of Wolf Laurel; a son, William Douglas Dobbins, a daughter-in-law, Kelli Kay Dobbins; and a grand-daughter, Amy Kay Dobbins, all of Corpus Christi, Texas and a brother, Keith Dobbins of Fort Bragg, California. If desired, memorial donations may be made to MemoryCare, 100 Far Horizons Lane, Asheville, NC 28803 or to Alzheimer's Research, PO Box 1950, Clarksburg, MD, 20871-1950 or to CarePartners Hospice, PO Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813. Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian, Arden, NC is in charge of services, which will be private.