Norman L. Dobyns, 82, a retired vice president of government relations for the Nortel Networks Ltd. In Washington D.C. died on February 20, 2015.

He was born in Campbell County, Va. and was preceded in death by his father, Lloyd A. Dobyns of Evington, VA. and his mother, Helen Stokes Dobyns of Noruna, Va.

Mr. Dobyns served for seventeen years as a vice president on the corporate staffs of three corporations headed by Board Chairman, Edmund B. Fitzgerald before retiring in 1989. Prior to serving with Mr. Fitzgerald at Cutler Hammer, Eaton and Nortel Networks, Mr. Dobyns served as a government relations vice president in Washington for the American Can Company.

In 1954, Mr. Dobyns moved to the Washington D.C. area to serve in the U.S. Army’s Office of the Chief of Transportation following earlier service at Ft. Eustis and Ft. Story in Virginia. He was commissioned as an Army Transportation Corps officer through the Reserve Officer Training Corps programs at Washington and Lee University.

After completing his military service, he joined the Apparatus Group of General Electric Company for assignments in Schenectady, Philadelphia, and Chicago from 1956 to 1959.
Mr. Dobyns returned to the Washington in 1959 to serve as Administrative Assistant to U.S. Representative Thomas N. Downing of Newport News, Va.

He had moved with his family to Newport News in 1933. While living in Newport News, Mr. Dobyns graduated from Fork Union Military Academy in 1950 and Washington and Lee University in 1954. As a student, he worked as a member of the reportorial staff of the Newport News Daily Press while completing journalism courses at W and L’s Lee Memorial Journalism School.

At WandL he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Scholastic fraternity, Sigma Delta Chi journalism fraternity, and Kappa Sigma social fraternity. He was competitively selected during his senior year as a fifth member of WandL’s College Quiz Bowl team then heard on NBC radio.

As a Wand L undergraduate, Dobyns competitively won a Kappa Sigma national scholarship award and a WandL Greek study Scholarship. He rowed on WandL’s crew team and for Lexington’s Harry Lee Boat Club, while working in the University’s Public Information office, where he prepared sports press releases and maintained statistical records of University sports events.

After graduating from WandL, Dobyns completed post-graduate studies at American University, the Wharton School of Business, the U.S. Army’s Transportation School, the Agricultural Department’s Graduate School, as well as General Electric’s management training program. He also lectured as a Woodrow Wilson scholar and published articles on business-government relations. He served for a number of years as a member of the Board of editorial Advisors of Acropolis Books in Washington D.C.

As a government affairs executive in Washington, Mr. Dobyns was active in Northern Virginia community affairs. He served as president of the West Springfield Civic association, and as founder and chairman of the Springfield Community Council in Fairfax County. He also served one four-year term on Fairfax County’s Civil Service Commission.

In Washington, he was active in a number of industry associations including the Electronics Industry Association, the National Defense Association, the Computer Industry Association, the Business-Government Relations Council, and the Washington International Business Council.

His marriage to Yvonne E. Fox ended in divorce.

He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Mary J. Howard; two daughters, Cynthia Dobyns of McLean, Va. and Barbara Dobyns of Hyattsville, Md.; a stepson, Bryon Howard of McLean; two grandchildren, Megan and Rhys; a brother, Lloyd Dobyns of Garner, NC; and two nieces and two nephews.

A graveside service will be held 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at Grace Episcopal Church, Kilmarnock, Va.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice, Riverside- Walter Reed Hospital, P.O. Box 1130, Gloucester, VA 23061.