Upper Midwest Jesuits | Chicago-Detroit Province

Fr. Thomas F. Tobin, SJ

March 15, 1926, to July 31, 2011
Patna, India

Fr. Thomas Francis Tobin, SJ, who served as a Jesuit missionary to the people of India for 50 years, died on July 31, 2011, in Patna, India.  Fr. Tobin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to parents Joseph and Rosemary (Lardner) Tobin on March 15, 1926.  He is survived by his sister Mary Iorantha Tobin Buck as well as many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, to whom he was a beloved brother and uncle.

After his family moved from Tennessee to Chicago in 1940, Tom attended De La Salle High School until his graduation in 1944.  At the age of 17, he joined the air corps where he worked as a navigator for three years (1944-1947). After completing his service, he attended the General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan (1947-1952) and began work as a tool and die designer until his entrance into the Society on August 8, 1954 in Milford, Ohio.  Following his years at the Milford Novitiate in Ohio, Fr. Tobin earned a masters degree from St. Louis University in engineering mechanics.

In 1960 he was assigned to serve in Patna, India, thus beginning a long career serving the poor.  Given his background in mechanics and engineering, he was assigned to various mission stations where his talents could be put to good use such as solar energy projects in Phulwari. “Tom made it a point to bring new ideas to his various assignments,” explained longtime friend Fr. Jerry Drinane, SJ.  “He had the joy and opportunity of pastoral work.  Obviously he was a man of wide interests and abilities but in all of this, Tom brought his priestly and religious charism.”  Fr. Tobin spent many years working closely with the mentally and physically challenged children of Barauni, Bihar, where he devised a number of aids to help them speak and understand. Later, he compiled a dictionary of land-related terms to help those who had to deal with land purchases and real estate to communicate more easily.  During his 50 years of missionary work in India, he served in various locations including Jamalpur, Sasaram, Basauni, and many others.

As well as being a dedicated priest, Fr. Tobin remained close to his family despite the great distance between them. Between visits, he kept in touch through letters and occasional phone calls, and in more recent years, emails, as Tom was always interested in new technology and delighted in this new form of communication. Fr. Tobin was often present through the years for family first communions and baptisms, and he proudly showed off pictures of his large family at home while in India.

In 1994, Tom’s sisters, Io and Rosemary, had the privilege of visiting him in India and treasured the opportunity to see Tom in his adopted home. Fr. Tobin’s last visit to the United States was to celebrate his 50^th Jubilee in Chicago in 2004 where he was supported by numerous family and friends from both the Chicago and Detroit areas.  “It was fitting that he went to his eternal rest on the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, which he served for more than 50 years,” says Isabel (Bob) McEachern, Fr. Tobin’s niece.

“He was indeed a dedicated Jesuit and devoted priest.  His memory will be cherished by all of us in Patna,” says Fr. Drinane.

Fr. Tobin’s funeral and burial took place in Patna, India, on August 1, 2011.

Memorial gifts:
Memorial gifts may be made to The Jesuits, 2050 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois 60614.

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