William Edward Jobst Obituary

Portsmouth

William Edward Jobst

William Edward Jobst, the husband of Kelly Cary Jobst and a retiree of Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Va., died July 22, 2025, surrounded by family, after a nine-month battle with cancer. He was 71.

Bill was born Oct. 21, 1953, in Pontiac, Ill., to Charles Wellington Jobst and Patricia Morrison Jobst. He was the fifth of six children: two girls and four boys. 

The family moved to Hampton, Va., when Bill was a young boy. He attended Hampton High School and subsequently graduated from Pontiac High School in 1972, after his family returned to Illinois. He returned to Hampton after graduation.

Bill, who had 29 years of government service, spent most of his career in the shipbuilding and ship-repair industry. He was a nuclear general foreman in Shop 57 when he retired from Norfolk Naval Shipyard. 

His duties as a member of NNSY’s “Tiger Team” took him on extended work stays at shipyards all over the United States, including Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Bremerton, Wash., Oakland, Calif., Charleston, S.C., and Mayport, Fla.; and across the world, including in France, Italy and Dubai.

He previously worked at Newport News Shipbuilding and Norshipco.

Bill and Kelly met in 1995, when both were working at the Public Works Center at Naval Station Norfolk. They were married in 1997 in Anchorage, Alaska, and lived the next 28-plus years in Portsmouth.

Bill enjoyed golf and watching sports, especially the NFL Washington Commanders. He also was a longtime member of the Portsmouth-based Stock Pickers of Tidewater investment club.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and two brothers, Earl David Jobst of Deland, Fla., and Michael Patrick Jobst of Hampton.

In addition to his wife, Bill is survived by two daughters, Kimberly Ann Jobst of Hampton and Ryan Cary Metz (Trevor) of Colorado Springs, Colo.; a son, William Edward Jobst Jr. (Golden) of Mechanicsville, Va.; a granddaughter, Brandy Alexis Storms of Hampton; a grandson, Austin Chase Jobst of Mechanicsville; and a great-grandson, Abel Reign Storms of Hampton.

Bill also is survived by two sisters: Margaret Jobst Phillips (Steve) of Anchorage and Katherine Lee “Casey” Jobst of Deland; a brother, Thomas Kevin Jobst (Deborah) of Pulaski, Va.; and his former wife, Deborah Burton Blessing (Craig) of Hampton.

Daughter Kim said of Bill, “My dad loved us fiercely. He traveled and accomplished great things, but to us he was just our dad and he was great at it. 

“He beamed when we could all be together doing things like going to games or having a family gathering while loving the time he spent with us individually. He was there anytime we needed him, without question. He loved watching his grandchildren do what they loved and jumped at every chance to help take care of his great-grandson before he couldn’t. 

“There will never be enough words that could ever encapsulate our memories and feelings for him, because his love for us is the greatest thing he ever gave us.” 

A celebration of life service will be held Saturday, Aug. 2, at 11 a.m. at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church, 4316 Bruce Road in Chesapeake. A reception will follow the service in the church’s fellowship hall. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101; or to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, 800 Tidewater Drive, Norfolk, VA 23504.

Condolences may be registered with this obituary at BWFosterFuneralHome.com.