William Carl Hobbs

Will Hobbs, 77, passed away on March 31, 2025 in Durango CO. Born William Carl Hobbs in Pittsburgh PA on August 22, 1947, he was third of the five children of Gregory James Hobbs and Mary Ann Rhodes Hobbs. The Hobbs were an Air Force family, with Will’s formative years spent in the Canal Zone, Virginia, Alaska Territory, California, and Texas. A graduate of Stanford University, he taught reading and English for 17 years, including at Durango’s Miller Middle School, before becoming a full-time author of young adult fiction in 1990. His twenty novels won many awards, including two books on the American Library Association’s list of 100 best young adult books of the 20th century.

Will’s experiences as an avid outdoorsman with an intimate knowledge of the mountains, rivers, and canyons of the American Southwest and far north of Alaska and Canada, and firsthand understanding of the age group for which he was writing, resulted in adventure stories appealing to girls and boys, and adults as well. His novels were translated into foreign languages and are read by people of many nations. He traveled extensively to meet with students and teachers in classrooms across the country, and was a popular speaker at teacher and librarian conferences. His last book, City of Gold, was published in 2020. The full scope of Will’s work may be seen on his website, www.willhobbsauthor.com

Will loved family above all else and was deeply devoted to Jean Loftus Hobbs, his wife of 51 years. They ran the Grand Canyon 10 times in their own whitewater raft, altogether spending 6 months of their lives there. They always invited family and friends on river trips and other outdoor adventures, including many in the Weminuche Wilderness of the San Juan Mountains, Will’s sanctuary. From his first hike up the Pine River in 1975, he fell deeply in love, and for the next 34 years he shared this love with family and friends. He spent more than 200 days there, shouldering his Kelty pack, throwing his Panther Martin, reciting “The Cremation of Sam McGee”, teaching others to honor the majesty and might of the high country, and inspiring everyone to tread lightly upon the earth.

Will and Jean had a solid community of friends in southwestern Colorado, for decades inviting them and family members to an annual “International Olympics” with advertised events including wild elk wrestling and porcupine toss, and actual events like dune jumping. Will had a keen sense of humor and a quick wit.

An Eagle Scout, Will was a ranger and camp director at Philmont Scout Ranch in the Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern New Mexico. He also backpacked extensively on the John Muir Trail of California’s High Sierra. He was extremely interested in and committed to the causes of Native Americans of the U.S. and the First Nations and Inuit of Canada, and to protection of the environment and wild places he loved.

Will had wide-ranging musical tastes, and was especially fond of Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead. Like his father, he loved Giants baseball and also rooted for both the Broncos and 49ers. He shared his Dad’s passion for gardening and for keeping things simple with hand tools. Will was a voracious reader with a superb memory for books, people, and landscapes.

Will was predeceased by his parents, his wife Jean, and by his brother, Justice Gregory J. Hobbs Jr. He is survived by siblings Edmund (San Antonio TX), Joseph (Columbia MO), and Barbara (Saratoga CA), as well as nephews and nieces Daniel Gregory Hobbs and Emily Mary Hobbs, William Rhodes Hobbs, Matthew Joseph Jones and Sarah Mary Jones, Anna Rose Morrissey, and Katherine Tatum Hobbs and Lilian Jean Hobbs.

Interment will be in the family plot at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Los Altos CA.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Durango Public Library (library@durangoco.gov) or the Grand Canyon Conservancy (gcconservancy@grandcanyon.org).

If you would like to send a card to the family, please send to Hood Mortuary c/o Will Hobbs, PO Box 7, Durango, CO 81302.