Joan Hobbs, a longtime Mineola resident who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, died on June 29. She was 93. Joan was married to Walter Hobbs, who also enlisted in the Navy during World War II, for 65 years. They raised three children in their house on Garfield Avenue.
Joan joined the Navy in 1943, one year after the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) was created.
“I looked better in Navy blue than I did in khaki,” Hobbs told a reporter in an interview three years ago.
She said she was hoping for an exotic posting like Hawaii. But after basic training in upstate New York, she spent the duration of the war sorting mail in a post office in Manhattan, taking the subway to work.
“She joined the Navy to see the world and went from Brooklyn to Manhattan,” her daughter, Linda, said.
She said her mother oversaw the handling of top secret mail as part of her wartime duties.
“She was very light of heart. We will miss her. May her soul rest in peace,” said Carl Marchese, commander of American Legion Post 349 in Mineola during a service conducted by members of the legion post and Adolf Block VFW Post 1305 at Hobbs’ wake on Thursday night at the Cassidy Funeral Home.
After the war, Hobbs had a career in journalism, working as assistant editor of the Mineola American for more than 10 years. She wrote a social column called “Bits and Pieces” and reviewed productions at the Mineola Playhouse.
She subsequently worked as chief proofreader for Sports Life, a weekly sports publication, for more than 15 years.
She had a quick wit and her son, Christopher, said she was an avid crossword enthusiast.
Hobbs was a member of American Legion Post in Garden City.
She and her husband were members of the University Club of Long Island at C.W. Post College.
She was also active in village government, serving on the village ethics committee and the library board.
“Joan was a dear friend, someone I could always rely on for advice and support,” said state Sen. Jack Martins. “She was a pioneer who served in World War II as a WAVE. She never stopped giving to the community.”
In addition to her husband, Walter, her daughter, Linda, and son, Christopher, Hobbs is survived by her daughter, Meredith, three grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Rev. Monsignor Robert Batule presided at the funeral mass at Corpus Christi Church in Mineola on Friday, July 3. Interment followed at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury.
