Richard Francis Dobbyn, who lived in Chelsea all his life, went through its public schools and earned his living as a laborer on general contractors’ crews, died on the morning of August 23, 2026 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He was 64.
His mother, Bernice Dobbyn, still lives in Chelsea, as does his youngest brother, Brian. He also leaves his stepmother, Patricia Dobbyn; a brother in Connecticut, David, with his wife Patricia and their five children, Nicholas, Sara, Daniel, Alicia and Samantha; a large group of great-nieces and great-nephews; his friends; and a cat named Buddy. He was predeceased by his father, Richard F. Dobbyn Sr.
Visiting hours took place August 29 at the Carafa Family Funeral Home on Washington Avenue in Chelsea, with a funeral service there the same morning and burial afterward at Holy Cross Cemetery in Malden.
Compiled from information published by Carafa Family Funeral Home, 389 Washington Avenue, Chelsea. Photograph courtesy of the family via Carafa Family Funeral Home. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.