Louis Joseph Tobin Jr., known to everyone as Joe, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, in Spokane, Washington, surrounded by his family.  He was 76.

Joe was born on March3, 1950, in Newport, Rhode Island, to L. Joseph Tobin Sr. and Elizabeth Anne (Jeffery) Tobin.  The son of a Navy man, he moved often as a boy before the family put down roots in Seattle, where he attended St. Joseph Elementary School and then Seattle Preparatory School for high  school, graduating in 1968.  He spent his freshman year at Stanford, then transferred to the University of Washington for his final three years, graduating in 1972.  He went on to the UW School of Law, earning his law degree in 1975.

After law school, Joe moved to Olympia-Tacoma area, hung out his shingle, and practiced law independently for ten years.  Joe never married; his family was his anchor, and in later years he moved to Spokane to be near them.  There he found a spiritual home at St. Thomas More Parish and was a proud member of the Knights of Columbus.

An avid tennis player with the soul of a songwriter, Joe wrote songs and poems, loved to take the microphone at karaoke, and never tired of Frank Sinatra.  Joe loved to share heartfelt, carefully chosen gifts with those he loved.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, L. Joseph and Elizabeth Anne Tobin, and by his sister, Peggy Meyer.  He is survived by his sisters, Kay Schutz (Ronald) and Anne Look (Michael); his nephews, Jeff Schutz (Jill) and Kyle Look (Alex); his nieces, Kellie Schutz, Katie Meyer (Wade), Kristen Helle (Jake), and Michelle Meyer (Jesse); and eight great-nephews.

Interment will be at Holy Cross Cemetery, with a graveside service for the family.  A celebration of Joe's life will follow at the Schutz residence.

The family extends its heartfelt thanks to the caregivers at North Point Village, who cared for Joe so lovingly in their memory care community during his final years.

He was, in his sisters' words, "our precious brother" and he will be missed every day.