Obituaries

George Kenneth Osgood III, age 54, formerly of Marblehead, passed away peacefully on March 22, at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, surrounded by his loving family after a courageous second battle with cancer. Born in Williamsburg, Virginia on March 11, 1969, he was the son of George K. Osgood Jr. and Georgina T. Smith. George Kenneth Osgood III Ken was a graduate of Marblehead High School, Class of 1987, and Northeastern University, Class of 1992, where he majored in civil engineering and graduated cum laude. After graduation, he accepted a position with Peter Kiewit and Sons and had an illustrious career for the next 30 years. Some of his notable projects included work on the Queensboro Bridge in New York, Third Harbor Tunnel in Boston, the New L in Chicago, and fi...

Mary “Midge” Dobbins, a longtime resident of Marblehead, passed away on July 24 in Salem.  Midge was born April 2, 1942, in the Panama Canal Zone to the late Harry and Irene (Hammerstrom) Dobbins. Mary Katherine ‘Midge’ Dobbins Her father was a civil engineer with the Army Corps of Engineers, and his assignments took the family to many parts of the country. Midge and her family eventually moved to Mobridge, South Dakota, where she graduated from Mobridge High School. After high school she attended the St. Elizabeth’s School in Lincoln, Nebraska, graduating in 1963. With her RN in hand, Midge moved to New Haven, Connecticut, to work in the emergency room at Grace New Haven Hospital. From there, she moved to Brookline, as an operating room nurse at the then Peter Brent Brigham Hosp...

When Dr. Louis Anthony Pocharski was a boy growing up in Salem Willows, he transformed an old dinghy into a racing boat, complete with a sail his mother had sewn from a bed sheet. His sailing prowess grew from there: Lou went on to win numerous local, regional and national regattas, as well as the 1967 Lightning World Championship. Dr. Louis A. Pocharski The oldest son of Louis Sr. and Estelle (Lotarski) Pocharski, Lou graduated from Tufts University where he played varsity hockey and was a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity. He then received a doctor of dental surgery degree from Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio. His foray to the Midwest brought him to Nancy Hartwig, a University of Michigan graduate student who would become his loving wife (and occasional sailboat crew) o...

Carol A. Thorn, 86, a resident of Naples, Florida, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on July 5, 2023. Carol was the daughter of Donald H. Haider and Genevieve Brennan Haider of Winnetka, Illinois, and the granddaughter of Frank Brennan and Margaret Blake Brennan of Chicago, and Donald H. Haider and Anna Nolan of Wisconsin. Carol A. Thorn Carol was raised in Winnetka, where she attended Saints Faith, Hope, and Charity Catholic Church. She received her bachelor-of-arts degree from the University of St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto and her master-of-arts degree in art history from Pope Pius XII Institute in Florence, Italy. After a few years in advertising with J. Walter Thompson, Carol became a European tour conductor. In 1963, Carol married Frank...

Karen Xavier Patch, 69, of Marblehead, and Rotonda West, Florida, died July 16. She was born September 25, 1954, in Boston to Robert C. Xavier and Jacqueline Xavier Oldham. Patch is survived by her husband of 25 years Charles W. Patch; sister Susan Page and her husband Daniel Page and niece Danielle Page and her partner Stephen Blevins; sister Bobbie Xavier and her daughter Bonnie Magee and her partner Anthony Navarro; sister-in-law Betty Patch Rickard and family; sister-in-law Bonnie Patch Grillo and family; and step-sister Judith Beaupre and family. Patch lived a simple life, finding pleasure in her love of animals, especially her West Highland white terriers. She was an accomplished home cook known for dishes like her potato salad, deviled eggs and meals for her husband. S...

Marilyn Drebenentered into rest on June 29, 2023, at the age of 88. Beloved wife of (the late) Arthur “Buddy” Dreben and devoted mother of Ron Dreben. Cherished grandmother of James Dreben. Loving mother-in-law of Alison Richards. Dear friend of her neighbors on Vassar Road and fellow residents of Coral Sea Towers, Bay Harbor Islands FL. She grew up in Everett and received an associate degree from Boston University. She spent her adult life in Marblehead caring for her husband and raising her son “by hand”. She was a dedicated member of Temple Emanuel and the Dolphin Yacht Club.  She loved the family sailboat, Dyaynu, her 1983 silver T-top ZX, dancing, bridge, playing piano, sunbathing, Judge Judy, and the Patriots. She worked on three movies in Marblehead:  Home Befor...