Clarence Lonnie “Bebop” Hobbs (October 7, 1951 – March 22, 2019) He was preceded in death by his father, James Luther Hobbs; his mother, Lena Delores Hobbs (Creech); his brother, Herbert Luther Hobbs (Sheila); and his brother, Kenneth Ray Hobbs. He is survived by his sister, Wanda Lee Bentley (Billy Ray); his brother, Gerald Wayne Hobbs (Diane); his brother, Rocky Burnett Hobbs (Nilda); and his youngest brother, James Clayton Hobbs, and many, many nieces and nephews. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Wanda Kay Hobbs (Ledford); his daughter, Stephanie Lynn Hobbs and her husband, Corbin T. Jones and his granddaughter, Kira Ruby Jones.
He is also survived by his brother-in-law and best friend, Tim D. Ledford, and his daughter, Donna Lee Frazier and her husband, Eldrich, and their children, Shannon, Christian, Alexander, and Cameron Frazier. Clarence met Wanda while working with her brother at Bob’s Frozen Custard in Congress Heights, DC. He immediately had a connection and wasn’t aware that the strawberry sundaes he made extra special were for his future mother-in-law, Ruby Ledford.
That won him favor when he asked Wanda on their first date. They hit it off immediately and have been together ever since. After completing high school, they decided to get married before he enlisted in the Army during the Vietnam war.
He left for Vietnam 3 days after their marriage and served in the Army for 3 years with an honorable discharge in August of 1973. He was a light and heavy truck driver infantryman delivering ammunition and supplies to the field while serving in Vietnam. He received title of Sharpshooter and received the National Defense Service Medal.
Upon returning to States from Vietnam, he was assigned to Fort Lee, VA and became the exclusive chauffeur to General McLaughlin. He was so loved by the General, he wanted him to be his permanent driver and go to Germany with him. He decided he would rather leave the military and began his fulltime life with his wife.
He did odd jobs for awhile until he landed a career as a local Teamster driver for major trucking companies. The pay and benefits were excellent since he never wanted to be cooped up in an office desk job so that was ideal for him. He ended up being forced to retire after a serious on-the-job injury to his left leg.
Once he became more mobile, he became the perfect househusband as his wife continued to work. She retired in 2011 and they began their retirement life together. We traveled a little, then he developed a heart condition and eventually COPD.
He was being treated these last few years by multiple doctors but apparently his heart had already reached its limit. He was known as a “talker” and loved to initiate conversations with anybody and everybody. That was one of his greatest qualities along with being a jokester.
Most people loved that about him. My only hope is that he finds peace and happiness in his afterlife and can continue talking and making people laugh up there. His spirit will forever in our hearts and we will miss him here tremendously.
Keep those pictures close and reminisce often. May we find comfort in the Lord as we mourn our loss of our beloved Clarence Lonnie Hobbs. Visitation on Wednesday, April 3, 2019 from 5-8PM and where Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, April 4, 2019 at 12PM at Raymond Funeral Service Chapel, 5635 Washington Avenue, La Plata, Maryland 20646.
Interment to follow at Maryland Veterans Cemetery, 11301 Crain Highway, Cheltenham, Maryland 20623. Memorial contributions in Clarence’s name are asked to the American Heart Association, 4217 Park Place Court, American Heart Association Building, Glen Allen, Virginia 23060. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Clarence Lonnie “Bebop” Hobbs please visit our Sympathy Store.
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