Lavorene (Rene) Elvina Hobbs died peacefully in Long Island, N.Y. on New Year’s Day. Rene was born on Nov. 25, 1933 in Bombay, India, to the late Thomas Joseph Fox, who was stationed in India with the Royal Irish Fusiliers regiment of the British Army (and later fought at Dunkirk), and Bernice Elvina (née Netscher) Fox, a descendant of the 17th century Dutch painter Caspar Netscher. She was raised in India until moving to England when she was about 10 years old and later met her future husband, Harold William Hobbs, in Southampton, England. The couple was happily married for 62 years until Harold’s death in 2016.
Rene and Harold lived in Cyprus for four years during his service with the Royal Air Force from 1955 to 1959, and subsequently lived in Northern Ireland and England before immigrating with their two teenage children to Greenwich, CT in 1975. Rene was as an executive assistant in the office of the president of Greenwich Hospital and a parishioner of the North Greenwich Congregational Church. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who enjoyed laughter, life, cooking and creating a beautiful home for her family wherever they lived.
Rene lived with Harold in Greenwich for 25 years until they retired to Punta Gorda, Fla. in 2000. They were members of the Isles Yacht Club and enjoyed sailing in the Florida Keys with their 38-foot sailboat “Rosebud.”
Rene is survived by her daughter Linda Whitaker Hobbs, son Steven Andrew Hobbs (Elizabeth), five grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. The family will hold a private memorial service. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.
