A GoFundMe account has been established to raise money for Kimberly Dobbie’s 11-year-old sons following her murder Sunday.

Albert Flick, 76, of Auburn is charged in the killing.

Kimberly Dobbie, background, looks on as her son, not in the photo, checks out a baby lobster at the Lewiston Public Library last Wednesday afternoon during an LPL Kids presentation of Ocean Touch Tank (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal)

The GoFundMe Kim Dobbie Memorial Benefit has been established by Mary Arata, a friend of Dobbie’s from Massachusetts, according to an email Wednesday from Arata.

“I’m a mom of two from Harvard, Mass.,” Arata wrote, adding Dobbie’s twins, Dylan and Cole, are the same age as her youngest son and often played with Arata’s boys.

Arata said Dobbie grew up in Harvard and was a classmate of Arata’s late brother, Michael Hadad, at The Bromfield School in Harvard. She said Dobbie and Hadad attended the prom together.

Dobbie liked to take her sons to the Harvard Public Library and Bare Hill Pond Beach in Harvard.

“Many, many parents in town recall the Dobbies as a constant presence in and around town when they lived here,” Arata wrote.

“Kim was the epitome of a devoted mother. Her day, and indeed life, was centered around the boys. She was a wonderfully caring mom, parenting with a loving hand and kind words.”

Arata said many people were “shocked, horrified and sickened to hear that (Dobbie’s alleged) killer may have misinterpreted her kindness for anything more. She was always smiling, pleasant and accommodating.”

Arata said she could not let Dobbie’s death pass unnoticed.

“Many here feel the same,” Arata said. “The GoFundMe effort was the least I can do.”

Local lawyer Erin McBee has agreed to set up an educational fund to help with Dobbie’s sons’ future educational needs.

Arata described the early flow of donations as heartwarming,

https://www.gofundme.com/manage/kim-dobbie-memorial-benefit

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