He was born in Keene, NH on May 10, 1943 the son of Joseph and Alma (Dubois) Jobin. A lifelong resident of Keene, Denis attended local schools, and was a 1961 graduate of Keene High School.
He earned a B.A. in French from St. Anselm College in Manchester NH in 1965. Upon graduation, he was hired to teach French and Spanish at Keene High School where he remained throughout his teaching career. He earned his Masters in Education from Keene State College in 1973.
In 1977 he received a scholarship to study French government and history in Avignon, France during a 5-week summer program. In 1980 he was appointed head of the department of foreign languages at Keene High School and remained in that role until he retired in 1999. He initiated a foreign student exchange program between Keene High School and Lycée Luxeuil les Bains in France in 1990. This gave hundreds of American and French students the unique opportunity to live and study abroad for a few weeks during their high school careers. As head of the foreign language department he launched the district’s first program to teach foreign languages at the elementary school level in Keene and surrounding towns in 1987. He taught French and Spanish to fifth graders for several years.
Outside of his teaching career, Denis was an avid reader and amassed a large collection of books and knowledge in the areas of art history and religion. He enjoyed visiting museums and was known to linger for unreasonably long amounts of time, making his family reluctant companions on these visits. In his retirement, he spent countless hours researching his family’s genealogy. He loved watching his grandchildren grow and appreciated each for their individuality. They brought him happiness and fulfillment, and allowed him to see the world through a different lens.
Denis lived with atypical Parkinson’s Disease for over 30 years. Yet he found great purpose in living his life with dignity, faith and grace. In that way, he was a true teacher to the end.
Denis is survived by his wife of 48 years, Pauline (Lachance) Jobin; his sons, Paul D Jobin and his wife, Jennifer, and children Alyssa, Alex and Leah, all of Merrimack, NH; Marc T Jobin and his wife, Gia, and children Sophia and Nicholas all of Framingham, MA; Denis C Jobin and his wife, Jennifer, and daughters Isabelle and Eleanor all of Peterborough, NH; a brother, Bruno Jobin and his wife, Beryl; a sister-in-law Lillian Jobin; a sister Claire Castagna; a brother Raymond Jobin and his wife, Dorothy; a sister-in-law Evy Lachance; as well as many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his siblings Lucienne, Gerard, Paul, Robert and Leo.
A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Saturday, June 8th at 10am in St. Margaret Mary Church, 33 Arch Street, Keene. Burial will follow in the St Joseph Cemetery, Main Street, Keene. There are no public calling hours.
In lieu of flowers, for those who wish, donations may be made in Mr. Jobin’s memory to St. Vincent DePaul Society, c/o Parish of the Holy Spirit, 161 Main Street, Keene, NH 03431.
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