James Tobin

James C. Tobin, 91, of Las Vegas, formerly of Barrington, was born December 25, 1924 in Ohio to James C. and Lillian (nee Krimer) Tobin. He passed away Wednesday, March 2, 2016 in Las Vegas.

James was a WWII veteran, job creator and innovator in plastics. Awarded the congressional midshipman scholarship, James graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He served as a Lt. JG on board the Essex Class, Aircraft Carrier USS Shangri-la CV-38 in the South Pacific. Following WWII, James took a job at Fairbanks Morse designing dashboards for locomotives. A subsequent job at Dow Chemical took him to Midland, Michigan where he met Mary Catherine “Molly” Lynch, and they were married. James went on to start a plastics distribution company which would ultimately bear the name Tobin-Stahr. In 1977, he created International Bottle Company, the first independent producer of 2 liter plastic bottles for the major soft drink companies. Hundreds of people today provide homes for their families working a job created by James Tobin. In his final days, James was surrounded by his loving children and grandchildren.

James is survived by his children, Kevin, Carol, Cathleen (Farris), Susan, Daniel, Peter (Karen) and Michael; his grandchildren, Chas, Shannon, Clifford, Carrie, Peter, and Daniella; and the mother of his children, Molly Tobin.

He is preceded in death by his parents.

A memorial visitation will be held from 10am until time of prayer service at 12pm, Saturday, March 19, 2016 at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 149 W. Main St., Barrington, IL 60010.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the Little Sisters of the Poor, 80 W. Northwest Hwy, Palatine, IL 60067.