I’ve recently started playing the organ a bit at my church again. I started playing piano-organ duets with a friend and people were so glad to hear the organ again that the Director of Music asked me to play for final hymns and such.

So, I dusted off my old Organmaster shoes and started practicing again. I was thinking back to how I got my start with organ – we have 2 now in the O’Connor Music Studio. One was my aunt’s Yamaha organ that I had shipped here from Maine when she died and the other is a Hammond that my mom brought with her when she moved in with us. That organ traveled a bit, too from Springfield, MA to Barre, MA to Wilmington, DE, to an apartment in Fairfax, VA, then to our home.

My mom learned to play piano by sitting in on my lessons with Miss Pashley and actually practicing. When my dad became pastor of the Barre (MA) Congregational Church, my mom was off at the local Catholic Church playing organ for their masses. Interesting division of religion!

Years later, my DH and I moved to Alexandria, Virginia, about a block away from a branch of Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). At that time, their music department featured organ classes and I jumped on the opportunity.

Ben Dobey actually taught on the organ at St. Albans Church in Annandale. The organ was in a small balcony, accessed by a narrow spiral staircase in what seemed to be a small closet. How they got the organ up there was a mystery to me unless they built the church around it.

Looking at their website, I got this picture of the organ and information about how it was updated in 2023. How workers accomplished the update I have no idea.

Our organ was manufactured by the John Leek Organ Company (Oberlin, Ohio) in 1982. It has two manuals, three divisions, 13 stops, 16 ranks, tracker action, mechanical couplers, no combination action, in the North German style.

In the fall of 2023 the organ was refurbished by Taylor and Boody Organbuilders of Staunton, VA, one of the finest firms specializing in mechanical action instruments. The organ was thoroughly cleaned, degraded leather was replaced, the action was reregulated and made even, and damaged pipes were repaired and fortified against future harm. The instrument was also tuned to a slightly unequal temperament, lending a special authenticity to the Baroque and Renaissance music so suited to this organ.

Ben was a stickler for Organmaster shoes.  These days, I prefer to practice in socks – or barefoot – but I always wear the Organmasters to play.  I even recently invested in a silver pair!

I always think of Ben when I’m wearing these shoes.  I thought of him on Easter Sunday (4/20/2025) when my friend and I played a medley of Easter hymns for the postlude.

As it turned out, the 20th was the anniversary of his death.  From this obituary, I assumed that he died on Easter of this year and shared on Facebook.

A couple friends posted:

Robert Benjamin Dobey, 72, died April 20. Born August 14, 1950, he was raised in Arlington, Virginia. He progressed from playing piano to organ by the age of 13. Dobey graduated from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Oberlin, Ohio, in 1972, studying organ with Garth Peacock, before earning his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance and literature from Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, studying with David Craighead. Dobey studied music with Michael Schneider in Cologne, Germany, on a Fulbright scholarship and resided in England for two years as a member of the Wells Cathedral choir. His musical activities ranged from playing organ and harpsichord to singing, composing, and conducting. After years of building his career in Washington, D.C., as keyboard artist with the Washington Bach Consort, assistant director of the Cathedral Choral Society at the National Cathedral, as a singer in the Woodley Ensemble, and various parishes, Dobey moved to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where he served as organist and choir director at Grace Episcopal Church.

Dobey recorded several discs for the Pro Organo label, among which are Herbert Howells & the Organ: The 30s & 40s, recorded on the Roosevelt-Schantz organ in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Syracuse, New York; The Wanderer, recorded on the Ernest M. Skinner/Aeolian-Skinner organ at Girard College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Magnificat: Organ music and chant in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, recorded on the Schoenstein organ of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, Sheboygan, Wisconsin; The Intimate Reger and In Sweetest Joy: Christmas Carols for the Organ, both recorded on the Schoenstein organ at Grace Episcopal Church, Sheboygan.

Robert Benjamin Dobey is survived by his sister, Mary Carol Coleman, and brother-in-law, Cameron Coleman, as well as nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial May 6 at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church, Sheboygan.

Memorials in Dobey’s name may be made to the Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice (ssrhospicehome.org), the music fund at Grace Episcopal Church (gracesheboygan.com), or St. Luke’s Community Cafe (sheboygancountyfoodbank.com/community-cafe).

I later read another obituary that said Ben died April 20, 2023.

Dr. Robert Benjamin Dobey passed away on Thursday, April 20, 2023, at the age of 72, following a determined and hard-fought battle with cancer. Born on August 14, 1950, Dr. Dobey was raised in Arlington, Virginia. Ben, to his many friends and colleagues, and Benjy, to his family, Dr. Dobey lived a full life steeped in his love of music, gardening, and deep friendships. In a family otherwise bereft of musical ability, Dr. Dobey’s extraordinary talent can only be considered providential. He progressed from the piano to the organ by the age of 13 and continued to develop as a musician of great talent until his passing. Dr. Dobey attended the Oberlin Conservatory before earning his doctorate at the Eastman School of Music. Among his travels and pursuits, Dr. Dobey studied music in Cologne, Germany on a Fulbright Scholarship and resided in England as a member of the Wells Cathedral choir. The breadth of his musical talent extended from organ and harpsichord to singing, composing, and conducting. His mastery of the organ spanned virtually every school and composer and resulted in multiple recorded works. After many years of building his career in Washington, DC with the Washington Bach Consort, the Cathedral Choral Society at the National Cathedral, the Woodley Ensemble, and prominent parishes, Dr. Dobey opted to devote himself to community, family, and friends in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where he served as a beloved organist and choir director at Grace Episcopal. Dr. Dobey’s lifelong passion for gardening left a legacy of spectacular beauty in his wake. He cultivated floral gardens wherever he lived, attended church, and made friends. Responding to news that his niece had planted bulbs that he provided, Dr. Dobey’s proclamation that “you have so much to look forward to” was among his final words. That desire to cultivate and share beauty animated his life, work in the garden, and vocational devotion to music. Notwithstanding his accomplishments, Dr. Dobey’s compassion, generosity, and open acceptance of all were his defining traits. His penetrating sense of humor produced satire and wit that brought real joy to family, friends, and colleagues. True to these characteristics to the end, Dr. Dobey’s final performance was “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic” sang to his two-year-old great nephew shortly before his passing. Dr. Dobey will be missed by many and is survived by his beloved sister, Mary Carol Coleman, and brother-in-law, Cameron Coleman, as well as the nieces and nephews on whom he doted. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at Holy Name of Jesus Church, 8th & Huron Avenue, Sheboygan. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Ben’s name made be made to the Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice, the music fund at Grace Episcopal Church or the St. Luke’s Community Cafe. The family would like to thank the nurses and staff of the Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice for all of their loving care and support. The Olson Funeral Home & Cremation Service has been entrusted with Dr. Dobey’s arrangements.

Rest in peace, Ben!