Larry Dobrin was a man who would have appreciated the irony: On the very day his obituary appeared in The Record, a story on the front page detailed storm damage to the Bush Point boat launch ramp.

Dobrin, who passed away early Monday after a four-year bout with pulmonary fibrosis, lived in a home overlooking the ramp and was acutely aware of the effects of wind, current and waves pounding a boat ramp facing the west side of Whidbey Island.

He became so concerned that, in 2005, he ran for a seat as commissioner for the Port of South Whidbey.

“Larry liked to be involved and he had a special way of pulling people together,” Suzanne Dobrin said of her husband.

“This year the waves became very severe. He would have read that story about the ramp and said, ‘I told you so.’”

He didn’t win his race for commissioner, but kept apprised of the project’s progress by attending port meetings and asking pointed questions.

“He seemed like he had a very high public consciousness and wanted to be a real contributor when it came to port issues,” said Port Commissioner Lynae Slinden. “And he was a very nice person.”

Born and raised in Michigan, Dobrin lived in California before moving to Whidbey Island in 1998. He had a varied career; he was a translator for the Army, wrote grants for the University of Michigan’s NASA space programs and founded five companies involved in cutting-edge technologies, one of which perfected a mechanism for the first successful plain paper fax machines and holographic imaging. From 1983 to 1998 he worked on advanced avionics systems for the helicopter industry in various capacities, all the while reserving judgment on whether helicopters were really all that safe.

“Another irony is that his last trip was on a helicopter to the hospital in Everett,” his wife said.

When he “retired” to Whidbey Island, he joined the Pebble Pushers, the Holmes Harbor Rod & Gun Club, the South Whidbey Lions and the Langley United Methodist Church.

One of Dobrin’s proudest accomplishments revolved around his love for the sea and sailboats.

A chance meeting with Ken Sasson on an old, decrepit dock on Honeymoon Bay several years ago led Dobrin, Peter Casale and David Schall to help found the South Whidbey Yacht Club, which went from 30 members to its current roster of 100-plus.

“They became close friends,” Sasson’s widow Pat recalled. “Larry’s enthusiasm and attention to detail complimented Ken’s vision and dream. They enjoyed each other and the planning sessions, usually conducted over glasses of scotch. Larry soon became my friend, too. He had that rare ability to talk to you as if you were the only person in the room — his warmth, generosity and fine sense of humor will be sorely missed.”

Another interest was minerals, especially opals. He would travel into the Australian Outback and California’s Mojave Desert to hunt for rocks and eventually became a partner in an opal mine in Red Rock Canyon. His interest was so strong he became president of the American Opal Society.

Above all, Dobrin was a gracious man, one who welcomed people into his world without a thought to their status in society. His wife remembered he would wake up each morning and look at the “big water” out his window and exclaim, “Oh, we are so lucky to live here in this beautiful place.”

Surrounded by family and friends — “They won’t let me do anything,” she said with tears of gratitude — Suzanne Dobrin is amazed at the response to her husband’s passing.

“He was a much-loved man.”

Suzanne Dobrin has requested that, in lieu of flowers, people consider making donations in Larry Dobrin’s name to the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis, Suite F, #227, 1659 Branham Lane, San Jose, CA 95118.

Jeff VanDerford can be reached at 221-5300 or jvanderford@southwhidbeyrecord.com.