Cecily Mary Tobin

June 19, 2016

Service Details

Cecily Mary Tobin, 83, died peacefully on Sunday, June 19, 2016, at Kavanagh House, after battling cancer for more than a year. Services are Saturday, June 25, at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 7075 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines. A visitation with family present will be held from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m., followed by a funeral mass, luncheon, and burial in Resthaven Cemetery.

Cecily was born on September 10, 1932, in Buffalo, New York, the daughter of Leonard J. and Florence B. Welch. She graduated from Bennett High School and became a registered nurse, training at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo. She then completed an internship in public health nursing at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.

Cecily married Thomas L. Tobin on June 29, 1957. During their 50 years together, they raised three children and resided in Buffalo and Ithaca, New York; Iowa City, Iowa; Champaign, Illinois; Columbus, Ohio; and Tampa, Florida, as Tom pursued his development career in higher education. In addition to being a dedicated mother and homemaker, Cecily was also a committed and empathetic nurse, working in a variety of medical settings over the span of six decades in four different states. She and Tom moved to West Des Moines twenty years ago to be near family.

As a couple, Cecily and Tom shared a passion for golf and spent many happy days on the links. She was always an avid athlete, excelling at tennis and bowling, as well as golf, which she continued to play into her eighth decade. Cecily also loved spending time with her family and was an enthusiastic spectator at their various activities over the years, first as a mother and later as a grandmother. She was actively involved in the Saint Francis of Assisi parish, participating in the Rosary Group, Christ Renews His Parish, Sunsational Seniors, and as a member of the Catholic Daughters of America.

Cecily is survived by daughters, Kathleen (Scott) Giles of West Des Moines and Cecily (Roberto) Simon of Ridgewood, New Jersey; son, Thomas Tobin of West Des Moines; and five grandchildren, Michael (Laura), Ryan (Andrea) and Daniel Giles, and Nicholas and Kathleen Simon; and two great-grandsons, Jackson and Hank Giles. Cecily was predeceased by her husband Tom in 2007.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to either St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church; HCI Care Services, 2910 Westown Parkway, Suite 200, West Des Moines, 50266; or the Des Moines Pastoral Counseling Center, 8553 Urbandale Avenue, Urbandale, 50322.

Arrangements are being handled by Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway.

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