Mary Josephine (Jo) Bobillot, loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed on to our lord on December 14, 2021.

Mary was born February 13, 1935 in Pomona to Luella and Percy Blackwell. She had six sisters and one brother. The family eventually moved to Oregon City where Mary attended school. Mary met the love of her life, Antone (Tony) Bobillot, while attending Oregon City High School as a sophomore in 1951. Tony was a fun and exciting young man and would cruise by her house on his motorcycle trying to get her attention, which he did. They were married October 20, 1951.

Tony was soon drafted into the Army and was sent to boot camp stationed at Fort Ord. Mary and her mother moved to Fort Ord area to be with Tony, where they stayed on until Tony was honorably discharged due to a foot injury. Mary and Tony moved back to Oregon and started their life together. One day Tony had a bad day when he wrecked his plane and motorcycle on the same day.

Mary and Tony then decided to move to Humboldt County. With a job lined up working in the timber industry, they packed up a borrowed cattle truck with their belongings and their baby girl, Antoinette. They lived in Arcata for a short time then moved to Fieldbrook, where they lived for many years. Mary had three additional children — Alan, David and Andy.

Mary was a devoted homemaker making many friends in the little town. Mary was very active in Fieldbrook Grange, community church and the PTA. Mary took a job at Fieldbrook School working as a teacher’s aide and eventually became the school secretary where she helped many teachers and kids along the way. Mary kept the family home going and the Bobillot’s house was always the meeting place for many kids and friends over the years. There was always extra food around for anyone who needed a meal.

In the early days of living in Fieldbrook, Mary and Tony maintained the Volunteer Fire Department’s fire trucks in their garage until a new Fire Department was built next to the Fieldbrook store.

Mary and Tony always had a big garden and beautiful flower beds. Gardening together was a great joy in their life.

Mary’s love of her life, Tony, passed away in 1981. Mary retired from Fieldbrook School after 30 years and moved to Arcata, where she lived until 2018. Mary became very active in her community. Working with the county supervisors, she spearheaded the successful PTA Campaign to rid the Manila area of abandoned vehicles littering vacant lots, roadsides and riverbanks and also a tepee burner from an abandoned mill. In total, Mary and her team removed more than 350 car bodies. The site is now home to Manila Park.

Mary continued her work with the community. She was the treasurer and exhibit chairwoman for Friends of the Arcata Marsh. Mary loved painting scenic views and birds at the marsh where you could find her on sunny days. Some of her paintings have been featured in many art galleries in the Humboldt area. Mary absolutely loved gardening. People in the neighborhood would come by to see her garden and pick up a potted plant. Mary loved the water and took up scuba diving with her oldest son at the age of 52.

She also got involved with the Kinetic Sculpture races. Her good friend, Hobart Brown, built the Calistoga Kinetic Delivery Truck with which Mary and her team completed the race in 1990.

Mary was a proud member of the Scottish Heritage Association and loved attending their dinners and events. Mary enjoyed dancing and having parties. Halloween was one of her favorite holidays and she would always have a pre-party at her house to kick of the evening events.

Mary moved from Arcata to live next to her oldest son Alan and his wife Shawna in the summer of 2018. She joined the Eureka Elks Emblem Club and was also a member of Eastern Star at the Arcata Masonic Lodge. Mary often danced the night away at the Eureka Elks Lodge with family and friends. Mary kept up her love for gardening at her new home in Eureka, you could find her in her garden every sunny day.

Mary loved her family and would have dinner parties whenever she could. She loved having her great grandchildren over to play and have fun. Mary lived a full and happy life surrounded by many friends and her large family.

Mary passed away of natural causes surrounded by her loving family on December 14, 2021.

Mary is survived by her children, Antoinette Pacheco of Willow Creek, Alan Bobillot (Shawna) of Eureka, David Bobillot (Jodi) of Ogden, Utah, and Andy Bobillot (Shannon) of Riddle, Oregon; her grandchildren, Jonelle Caldwell, Nicki Wilson, David Bobillot, Nicole Pacheco, Brad Wilson, Michael Bobillot, Natalie Pacheco, Stefon Mendez, Alex Bobillot, and Daniel Bobillot, Nick Harless, Hillarie Beyer, Travis Harless and great-grandchildren, Jenicee, Allyana, Jayden, Nettle, Malia, Preston, Maiah, Willow, Braeden, Hudson, Willow, Acacia, Adam, Talia, Marlowe and Cole as well as many, many other loving family members and friends.

A celebration of life will be held at the Eureka Elks Lodge on April 30, 2022 at 1 p.m.

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