Harry H. Hobart

Harrison Hughitt Hobart left this world June 15, 2013. He had a long and fruitful life.

A dedication and brief memorial honoring Harry will take place Sunday, April 13, at 4:15 p.m. at the Brown’s Ranch Trailhead of the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy. Contact Margaret at margohobart@gmail.com for more information.

He was born Nov. 17, 1927 and was adopted by Marjorie P. Hobart and Harrison H. Hobart.

He grew up in Clinton, Iowa on the shores of the Mississippi River. Harry’s childhood was filled with a fair amount of mischief, much of it committed with his cousin and best friend in childhood, Mark Paddock. He and Mark explored the river, climbed up on porch roofs, and spied on Alice, Harry’s older sister.

Other childhood exploits included riding a bike off a bluff to see if this could be done (it could; at the cost of a broken arm), and a sledding accident so serious Harry had to spend weeks in bed with what we would now call a traumatic head injury.

In his teen years, Harry’s days were brightened by his dear friend Jack Moran. It was with Jack that Harry became fascinated with historical swords. Jack collected old things and Harry had an excellent and hysterically funny story about trying on an ancient knight’s helmet, in an attic, on a sweltering summer day. Apparently those helmets go on easier than they come off.

A tender, artistic and sensitive child with an inherently gentle soul, Harry bore the burdens of the authoritarian parenting and rigid ideas of masculinity his father held. To “toughen him up” his father insisted Harry attend a military boarding school his junior and senior years of high school. Shattuck left an impression on Harry, but not one of particular fondness or pleasant nostalgia. He graduated from high school in 1945 and enrolled at the University of Minnesota. He was interested in art but majored in economics at his father’s urging.

Harry met the love of his life, Belle Charlotte Adams, at the University of Minnesota his sophomore year. They fell quickly in love, so much so that they secretly married without their parents’ knowledge in 1947. They married in the presence of friends and family after the fall quarter of their senior year, in December 1949. They never spoke a word of their secret marriage until their 50th wedding anniversary approached, at which point they said they did not want a big party, as their first 50th wedding anniversary had already passed.

Harry was deeply affected by coming of age during World War II. Horrified by what Germany wrought under Hitler, and with images of crowds responding ecstatically to Hitler’s speeches etched in his mind, he harbored a life-long suspicion of large gatherings, charismatic leaders and any sort of “group think” in which people abandoned their individual reason and responsibility.

This extended to organized sporting events, which he never attended, and to organized religion, which mostly repelled him (except for a short stint in the Unitarian Universalist Church.)

Harry joined the Navy in 1952, trained in Mississippi, and was eventually based at NAS Los Alamitos in California. He was assigned to a TBM torpedo bomber squadron, and was eventually based on the USS Princeton for a tour of duty during the Korean War. Harry’s squadron was stationed in Japan, and he was fascinated by the culture, food and sights of Japan. He served the Navy four years and was relieved to be discharged, having missed Belle terribly. He rarely spoke about his Navy experiences and did not relish the idea of war.

However, his Navy experience informed his view of the world, his sense of adventure, and his openness to varied cultures and cuisines.

After returning to the states in 1956, Harry joined a start-up company, Interstate Electronics Corporation in Anaheim, Calif. as the manager of production planning and scheduling. He and Belle spent several happy years in Southern California in the ‘50s, enjoying the sun, fragrance of orange groves, jazz clubs and the beach.

Harry and Belle’s first child, David Adams Hobart, was born in 1960, with Margaret following shortly after in 1962.

Harry and Belle moved to Minneapolis in order to be closer to family and for Harry to take a position at Honeywell’s Government Division. However, it turns out that after living in Southern California, resettling in Minnesota is a tough go. The way Harry told it, he heard the song “California Dreamin’” on the radio one snowy day and that was it: he realized they had to get out of there.

Looking for someplace with the right mix of warmth, wholesomeness, affordability and a job offer, the Hobarts moved to Scottsdale and Harry went to work for Motorola’s Semiconductor Products Division in Phoenix. He was charged with the design, development and installations of worldwide purchasing and accounts payable computer systems.

This position eventually required extensive travel to overseas manufacturing locations in Japan, Scotland, France, Germany, Taiwan, Korea, Switzerland and Malaysia. Belle frequently joined him overseas, and his travels were a great source of pleasure for them both. He made two of his best friends at Motorola during those years, the inimitable Jack Deeter and Bob Biller, both of whom enriched his life with good humor and loyal friendship.

While he found parenting challenging at times, Harry strove hard to be a good father. He rose very early each morning so he could get in a full day’s work and still be home for family dinner every night. He, like Belle, rejected violence as a child rearing tactic. He rarely raised his voice, and was generally gentle and kind in his approach. At the same time, he demanded a high degree of respect and manners from his children.

He loved to get his family up before sunrise, and head out into the Arizona desert. There, they would watch the sun come up while frying eggs and bacon on a camp stove. He visited each of his kids in their rooms each night to say good night, and these quiet and intimate times were treasured by them.

After retiring, Harry participated in a newly-formed organization whose purpose was to promote fine art and artists in the Scottsdale area, The Scottsdale League for the Arts.

In 1991, Harry and Belle moved from Scottsdale to Fountain Hills. Joining a social club there, they met friends who sustained them and brought so many good times for the next 20 years. Harry was a regular member of the Men’s Club and also worked on other community projects.

His son David’s struggle with cancer and death in 2002 cast a dark shadow on some of these happy years, but friends, family and community helped both Belle and Harry through that sadness.

Tragically, Belle developed Alzheimer’s, and the effects of this started showing in 2007 or so. Harry was a faithful, loving, dedicated and patient husband and caregiver. He quietly helped Belle maintain the fullest possible participation in regular life as long as possible. He cooked, cleaned, managed their social lives, and kept her company. When he could no longer handle all these duties, and Belle’s impairment became more serious, they moved to Seattle to be closer to Margaret in December 2009.

Those last years with Belle were difficult, and Harry was heroic in his patience, fortitude and dedication to his beloved. Belle died June 3, 2011. Harry was broken hearted. He moved back to Fountain Hills to be close to friends and resided in Fountain View Village.

The last few years were challenging, but Harry always conducted himself with a great deal of dignity and kindness. He was a particular favorite of the caregivers at Fountain View because of his gentle manner and sweet nature.

He died very peacefully, in his own apartment and in the presence of his daughter.