Obituary of Sylvia A. Lobb

Sylvia Lobb died at Olean General Hospital in Olean, New York on February 12, 2017 at the age of eighty. A long-time resident of Jamestown, she was born in Buffalo, New York on May 10, 1936 to Inez Lounsbery and Carl Greene. When her parents died in 1947, she was raised by her maternal grandparents, Jesse Lounsbery and Ella Rogers Lounsbery, in Hannibal Center, a small community in Oswego County. She graduated from Hannibal Central School in 1953, and attended Oswego State Teachers College (now the State University of New York at Oswego). She married a fellow student, Raymond Francis Leahy of Hemmingford, Quebec and Plattsburgh, New York, on July 3, 1954. She had four children with Raymond. The Leahy family lived in Ballston Spa from 1956 to 1958, where Raymond got a job as an industrial arts teacher. In 1958, they moved to Plattsburgh, New York, where Raymond was the head of the industrial arts department of Beekmantown Central School. In 1963, the family moved to Dannemora, New York, where Raymond was principal of the Dannemora Public Schools and Sylvia taught elementary school at St. Joseph's Catholic School. In 1967, the family moved to Munnsville, New York, where Raymond was the superintendent of schools at Stockbridge Valley Central School and Sylvia was an art teacher at Sherburne-Earlville Central School. In 1970, the family moved to Randolph, New York, where Raymond was superintendent of schools. While living in Randolph, Sylvia earned a bachelors degree from the State University of New York at Fredonia (Class of 1975). In 1978, Sylvia and Raymond were divorced. Sylvia married Joseph McIntyre in 1981, and the two lived happily in Rhode Island and Massachusetts until his death in 1983. She returned to Jamestown in 1984 and married Thomas Lobb in July 1985. She worked at the Fenton History Center, a museum and research center, in Jamestown for more than two decades, the last decade of which she was in charge of curating photographs. One of her favorite projects was placing historic images of Jamestown in local businesses and restaurants. She was a member of the First Congregational Church of Jamestown for more than three decades, where she sang in the choir, was a constant organizing presence, and helped with literacy programs. For many years she was very involved in Little Theater of Jamestown where she participated in the cast and crew of several productions. She is survived by four children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Her surviving children are Michael Leahy and his wife Debye, of Thompsons Station, Tennessee, Christina Gray and her husband Mitch (deceased) of Great Valley, New York, Thomas Leahy, and his wife Cara, of Conway Springs, Kansas, and Richard Leahy, and his wife Kathleen, of Clovis, California. Her surviving grandchildren and great-grandchildren are Courtenay Leahy of Nashville, Tennessee, Honor Leahy of Thompsons Station, Tennessee, Ryan Leahy and his wife Jennifer, and their children Annin and Toryn, of Yosemite Park, California, Adam Leahy of Mountain View, California, Amber Gray Bryant and her husband Lee Bryant of Thomasville, North Carolina, Cameron Gray of Great Valley, New York, Carl Leahy and his wife Molly of Chesapeake, Virginia, and Brenna Leahy of Manhattan, Kansas. She is also survived by her sister, Beverly Campanell, of The Villages, Florida, and her husband, Thomas Lobb, who now resides in Florida. Services were held at the Lind Funeral Home in Jamestown on February 15, 2017. Daniel McLaughlin of Randolph, a friend of the family for 47 years, delivered the eulogy. After the services, Sylvia was interred at the Bentley Cemetery in Lakewood, New York. After the interment, a small family gathering was held at her daughter Christina Gray's home in Great Valley to celebrate her life.