Funeral Mass/Celebration of Life ~ July 3, 2026 5pm at St. Mary of the Angels Church, Glendale, NS

Jessie was born in Glendale on the beautiful island of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to Alexander Hugh & Catherine (MacEachern) Boyd.  She was the 5th of 7 children; Andrew, Margaret Loretta, Hugh Francis, Lawrence, Alexander, and Freeman Edward who passed away at 4 months of age. A foster child, Carmelita also grew up in the Boyd household.  

At 19 years of age Jessie moved to Windsor, Ontario to find work. When her brother Lawrence was killed in Belgium during World War II she returned to Glendale to be with her parents. Six weeks later her younger brother Alexander was killed. It  was a  very tragic time for the family. Jessie stayed in Glendale for a while but eventually moved to Boston where her sister Loretta was married and living in Dorchester, MA. 

Sears and Roebuck in Boston hired Jessie as a seamstress. One day, she met John F. (Tobey) Tobin at the bus stop on her way to work. They were married a few years later. They moved to South Boston and had three children; John E., Kathryn, and Lawrence.  Tobey became a police officer following in his father‘s footsteps and Jessie had a variety of jobs. 

Her favorite and  final job was at Boston Medical Center. It was a job that she loved. She was ward secretary in the pediatrics department. As a child she had wanted to become a nurse and work with children.  The Doctors, nurses, and patients loved her. She was very helpful and cheerful to everyone and stayed there for several years until she retired. 

Jessie was a very social person and had a huge group of friends, young and old. She loved visitors and meeting people. She had a kind heart and greeted all with a smile.  

She loved to travel around the US and even visited a few international destinations. But, her favorite place to visit was Glendale.  She returned every summer to visit her mother, her brother, Hugh, Francis, his wife, Kathleen, and their eight children.

Jessie is survived by her son, John of South Boston, MA and her daughter Kathy of Naples, FL and many loving nieces, nephews and friends. 

She was the last living relative of her immediate family.  She was predeceased by her husband, John and her son Larry.

At the beginning of CoVid, Jessie passed away at 96 years of age.  It’s been a few years now since her passing, but she has not been forgotten. 

Please join us for a mass and a celebration of her life on Friday, July 3, 2026 at 5pm at Saint Mary’s of the Angels in Glendale.