1943 – 2017

AUBURN — Barbara “Bobbi” Joyce Bubier, 73, of Lewiston was granted her angel wings Thursday, Feb. 2, at the Hospice House in Auburn after a long illness. Her final days were spent surrounded by her loving family and friends.

She was born in Wichita, Kansas, on March 11, 1943, to Gene and Lois Jones. She attended UCLA and worked at Mattel Toy Co. in her younger years. She married her soul mate and the love of her life, Richard W. Bubier, on Dec. 5, 2009. Together, they enjoyed movies, loved to challenge each other at crossword puzzles, shopping and dining out, especially at their favorite place, 99 Restaurant & Pub. They also loved their special vacation week at their time-share in Cape Cod every October.

Bobbi loved life! Her smile and laughter would light up a room, and she devoted much of her time to her family and friends. She loved to cook, bake cookies and give them all away, sew, listen to audiobooks, and write poetry, essays and books.

After losing her eyesight, she achieved her dream to be an author and successfully wrote three romance novels that were published under the name of Bobbi Lachance. Bobbi was a generous soul, even when she had very little. She loved Christmas and always made it a special time, especially for children.

She was a member of the High Street Congregational Church, where she served on the Christian education board. She was also a Sunday school and nursery school teacher and a member of the Women’s Guild. For many years, she made sure that the children of the local children’s home had toys and clothes for Christmas. Bobbi was very involved with Guide Dogs of America and started a local puppy raiser program, in which puppies are prepared for Guide Dog training school for the blind. She had a passion for the program, as she was a recipient of many guide dogs throughout her lifetime. She was an original member, president and board member of Behind Our Eyes, a nonprofit organization enhancing the opportunities for writers with disabilities. The group published two anthologies, “Behind Our Eyes” and “Behind Our Eyes, A Second Look,” in which Bobbi had her poetry and essays published. Bobbi was a member and officer of TOPS, proud of her achievement of obtaining her goal weight.

Bobbi is survived by her beloved husband, Richard; her daughter, Tracy Seubert and husband, Greg, of Lisbon; her son, Tomis Erb and wife, Rachel, of New York; foster daughter, Amanda Caldwell and husband, William Shelton, and their son, Bennett, of Newport News, Va.; stepson, Kendall Bubier and wife, Kathleen, of Marlboro, Mass.; stepdaughter, Jane Hatch and husband, Richard, of Hebron; grandchildren, Megan, Violet and Harry; great-grandchildren, Kelan and Autumn; stepgrandchildren, Meredith, Jeremy, Todd, Courtney, Erin, Jennifer, Michael, Christopher, Samantha and Andrew; her brother, Michael Baronowski of Calif.; her sisters, Robin Gilmore and husband, Robert, of Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Theresa Kapzynski and husband, Mark, of Plainfield, Ill.; Ruby Newlon and husband, Gary, of Florissant, Colo.; her best friend and “second daughter,” Terri Kelsea of Lewiston; her guide dog, Honora; retired guide dog, Kaddy; and her two kitties, Sassy and Peppy.