In the past two decades, "Pem" Hobbs ran for Siler City mayor twice, helped revive the town's defunct Fourth of July parade, served on the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, became the driving force behind four downtown murals capturing the spirit of old Chatham County, and launched a Hispanic Task Force that helped public and private agencies respond to the county's rapid demographic and cultural shifts.

Hobbs died Friday at the age of 81.

"I will always admire him for the care that he took, for getting involved as this community underwent some of the most dramatic changes in our history," said Bill Lail, director of the Family Resource Center, a nonprofit agency that provides counseling, child care and other services to immigrants. "I'm going to miss him. I'm sure a lot of folks in this town will."

Hobbs played varsity football at N.C. State University and served in the Marines before spending nearly two decades with the Caswell County-based Armco Steel Corp. In the late 1960s, Hobbs began selling real estate in Siler City and Newton Grove.

When Hobbs was in his mid-60s, a time when others contemplate retiring or at least slowing down, he launched a new chapter in his life. Hobbs, a natural salesman who drove a little red sports car, approached the Siler City Town Council and suggested that it form a Hispanic Task Force.

Siler City, a burg of black and white residents, was changing. In the 1990s, Hispanic immigrants had started working in the area's textile and poultry processing plants. Some were legal immigrants. Others were not. Many spoke little or no English and were moving to an area where most longtime residents spoke no Spanish. By some estimates, Siler City's population of 7,400 is about 33 percent Latino.

The changes created community tensions and new needs in Chatham County's schools, hospitals, churches and regulations. Hobbs thought Chatham County needed to talk publicly about how to manage the change and use the county's resources.

"Pem didn't put his head in the sand," Lail said. "He was the one who saw what was happening, who was saying we needed to recognize certain realities and have the courage to deal with them."

Hobbs later landed a seat on the Chatham County Board of Commissioners. He also made two unsuccessful bids for mayor against Siler City Mayor Charles L. Turner.

"Pem was just the kind of guy who liked to see good things happening in the community and was willing to make them happen," Turner said.

When the Rev. Jim Wall arrived in Siler City five years ago, Hobbs was among the first to make him feel at home.

"I met him through the [Siler City] Rotary Club," said Wall, a friend and pastor of First Baptist Church, who will officiate at Hobbs' funeral. "Of course, I found out real quickly that he was involved in a number of activities in the community. That's why people in this part of the county say, 'If you need to get anything done, call Pem Hobbs.' "

Hobbs is survived by his wife, Sarah Whin Hobbs of Pittsboro; his brother, Alfred S. Hobbs of Taos, N.M.; a daughter, Sara Hobbs Graham of Newton Grove; a son, Graham Kerr Hobbs of Charlotte; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Hobbs' family will receive visitors from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at West and Dunn Funeral Home in Newton Grove. Hobbs' funeral will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the same location.

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