The local hockey community is mourning the death of longtime executive Bill Stobbs of Chatham.
The Provincial Junior Hockey League, which has a division named for Stobbs, announced his death on Sunday.
The Chatham Sports Hall of Fame member spent decades as a chairman or convener with numerous hockey leagues.
“The PJHL sends its thoughts and prayers to Bill’s family, friends and all other lives that his presence has touched,” the league said in a statement.
Stobbs was on the Ontario Hockey Association board from 1986 to 2012, serving as director, vice-chairperson, chairperson and advisory board member. He also worked for the Ontario Hockey Federation, Hockey Canada and the Hockey Development Center of Ontario.
He was a chairman of the Great Lakes Junior C, Western Junior B and Seaway Cyclone senior leagues. He was an executive for senior teams in Chatham, Petrolia and Dundas.
Stobbs received the Gold Stick Award, the OHA’s highest honour, in 2007 and was named an OHA life member in 2010. He was inducted into the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
Stobbs volunteered with many organizations following his retirement in 1997 after a 40-year career at Union Gas. He worked for the Canadian Mental Health Association, Canadian Cancer Society, Chatham-Kent Family YMCA, United Way, Jaycees and Chatham Minor Hockey Association as well as several other groups.
“My dad passed away when I was 13, but one of the things I remember him telling me is it’s important to give back to the community,” Stobbs said to the Daily News in 2007.