Tributes paid to dentist Laurence Dobson following his death

Laurence Dobson was a popular character in the Catterick and Northallerton area, and passed away on February 10, 2023, with his wife, Rosemary, at his side, at Wilton House Care Home in Darlington.

Laurence was born in West Byfleet in Surrey, to an English father and Irish mother.

He spent most of his childhood in Hertfordshire, attending a Catholic school for boys in the Broxbourne area.

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After qualification at Guy’s Hospital Dental School in London, Laurence served as a Captain in the Royal Dental Corps from 1966 to 1969, in Catterick Garrison, then Singapore and Penang.

Upon leaving the Army, Laurence set up a number of civilian dental practices, initially at Hildyard Row in Catterick, and then in Northallerton and Thirsk.

He gained his fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons and in his later years trained junior dentists in the region.

As well as being a respected dentist, Laurence developed an interest in therapeutic hypnosis for patients seeking help in giving up unwanted habits such as smoking or coping with phobias.

Laurence also gave talks on hypnosis to various audiences, with demonstrations performed on willing colleagues from his dental practice.

Laurence had a number of serious health problems during his life but overcame these challenges, continuing to work and to play high-impact sports such as rugby and squash.

He was captain of the 3rd 15 at the Wensleydale Rugby Club in the early 1980s and a committed member of squash leagues in Bedale and Leyburn. It was only when he broke his right arm in a rugby match in the late 1980s that he stopped playing rugby, but he continued to play squash until he was in his seventies.

Alongside his sporting achievements, 

he enjoyed owning a series of fast cars, including a Morgan, Saab Turbo and E-Type Jaguar.

Laurence Dobson was a popular character in the Catterick and Northallerton area, and passed away on February 10, 2023, with his wife, Rosemary, at his side, at Wilton House Care Home in Darlington. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

He was a keen metal detectorist, enjoying the prospect of finding interesting historic items in the grounds of any of his houses. His interest in both Natural History and History led him to collect fossils, antique furniture and books.

He travelled widely, holidaying in the Mediterranean, Far East and in Ireland, where he had spent time as a child.

During the early 1990s, he was an enthusiastic participant in an annual dinner held to commemorate the life of Yorkshire’s presumed oldest man, Henry Jenkins, speaking and raising a toast to a gathering of local dignitaries.

Laurence’s circle of friends and acquaintances was extensive, as he frequented a range of inns, bars, cafes and restaurants in the Leyburn, Northallerton, Darlington and Catterick area, notably the Cover Bridge Inn, Sardis, Vesuvio, the Imperial Express, the Black Bull at Moulton and the Grange Arms at Hornby.

Laurence is survived by his wife, Rosemary, his six children (Ms Rebecca Dobson, Mrs Jemma Gayer, Mr Matthew Dobson, Mr Benjamin Dobson, Ms Rosalie Dobson and Mrs Angelica Ward) and twelve grandchildren.

Laurence was born in West Byfleet in Surrey, to an English father and Irish mother. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

At the funeral service, the family expressed their gratitude to the NHS and to the staff at Wilton Close Care Home, and asked that donations be given, if desired, to St Teresa’s Hospice.

He was buried at St Osmund’s Roman Catholic Church at Gainford on Friday, March 3, 2023.

One of Laurence’s sons, Ben Dobson, gave the eulogy.

The officiant was Father Thomas Mason and the funeral was arranged by John Blenkiron & Sons, Funeral Directors.