Herbert E. Fletcher III Obituary (1952

Herbert E. Fletcher, III (Hobie or "Surfahobie"), 56, of Oceanside, California, passed away suddenly at his home on March 12, 2009. He was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, the son of the late Herbert E. Fletcher II and the late Elizabeth (Tennant) Fletcher. He is survived by his loving sisters, Polly Fletcher of Lawrence, MA; Edie Flynn of Jamestown, RI; and Libby Morissette (and her husband Alen Morissette) of Pembroke, NH; and four nieces whom he adored: Meghan Michaud (and husband Scott Michaud) of Loudon NH; Virginia Lang (and fianc David Gregoire) of Chester, NY; and the twins, Elizabeth Riccitelli and Jessica Morissette of Pembroke, NH. He is also survived by his stepmother, Jeannine Fletcher of Washington, DC; and his former wife, Kate Lopas Fletcher of North Kingston, RI; to whom he was married from 1986 to 1995. Hobie attended Belvedere School in Chelmsford, MA and Berwick Academy in South Berwick, ME. He also attended Imageworks and White Pines College in NH. During his fifteenth summer Hobie began working for the H. E. Fletcher Company, Chelmsford, MA, a family business founded in 1881 and engaged in quarrying and fabricating granite for bridges and buildings in San Francisco, Denver, Washington, New York, Boston and other major cities in the Northeast. He remained committed to the granite industry and also worked as a sales representative for Imported Stone in Everett, MA; Arens Stoneworks in Greenland, NH; the Fletcher Company landscaping office in Rockville, MD; Kenneth Castellucci & Associates in Lincoln, RI; New England Stone in Esmond, RI; Officine Meccaniche and Candiani Advanced Technology of Milan, Italy; and Haodesheng Stone of Xiamen, Fugian, China. Hobie was President of National Quarries, San Marcos, CA, and worked with Seaman- Poe Monument Company in San Diego, CA; Golden Nevalite in Carlsbad, CA; and Millennium in Pala, CA. He founded the National Granite Trading Company and also consulted under the names of Stonecutter Consulting Service and Hobie Fletcher Cooperative Enterprises. Hobie traveled extensively on sales calls, to consult and attend trade shows and he thoroughly enjoyed his travels, particularly those in Italy and China. Hobie was a natural athlete and played in Little League and soccer (as captain of his team) in school; he went duck hunting with his father, friends and colleagues at the Pope's Island Gun Club in Chincoteague, VA, and fishing at the Fletcher Company camps in Canada. He sailed in Boston Harbor and surfed and skied both the East and West Coasts. He worked out regularly at the gym. The Southern California weather suited him well and he enjoyed his almost daily bike rides and walks on the beach. He also had a keen eye for and an interest in photography and had an extensive collection of prints and videos. He had operated the f-stop Gallery in Kennebunkport, ME and was a member of several arts organizations and museums. His love for the ocean and interest in boating led him to work with Finestkind Yachts in Portland, ME and to purchase Roth- Bilt Boats which he moved from Cape Cod to Brooklin, ME. Spending summers at Drakes Island in Southern Maine were some of his happiest times. He loved Maine and lived there as an adult for several years in the early1990s with his wife Kate. He particularly enjoyed walking the beach with their two Labrador retrievers, Sam and Woody. He remained in close contact with his Drakes Island friends and returned several times from California to participate in reunions of the group. He was enthralled with family genealogy and traveled to, wrote about and photographed family history which he enjoyed sharing with relatives and friends. Just three months before he died he visited Virginia to learn more about his mother's family and looked forward to one day going overseas to further research his mother's Scottish roots. Interested in technology and its applications, he enjoyed using the internet as a research tool and employing digital photography to enhance his presentations. Hobie was in regular communication with his many friends, family and associates and enjoyed sharing political and humorous emails with them. He was skilled at developing marketing materials for his clients and was a regular at local photography stores and Kinkos. Hobie was full of life. He loved to spend time entertaining his family, friends and colleagues--eating, drinking, partying, flirting, talking politics, work and old stories. He enjoyed introducing people to each other. His friends' ages ranged from young children to seniors and they were quite an eclectic group. "Crazy Uncle Hobie", his nieces called him and they looked forward to his visits. Handsome with his white hair and young face, outgoing, upbeat, generous, gentle and charming to the end, he will be tremendously missed by all of us who knew and loved him. Hobie's mother died when he was only 22 and his father just passed away in November 2008, Hobie will now join his beloved parents and we hope he finds the peace that he deserves. Friends have arranged memorials in California and Maine. Family have planned a brief service at All Saints' Episcopal Church, 10 Billerica Road, Chelmsford, MA on April 7th at 11am followed by internment at Fairview Cemetery in Westford, MA. In lieu of flowers, please donate in his memory to the charity of your choice.