Marple Friends & Neighbors is pleased to kick off the new year with a resident feature family full of musical talents. A shared love of music brought Angela and Steve Dobbins together back in high school and now, they’re raising a third generation of musicians here in Broomall.
Angela has lived in Broomall since 1992, but before that she spent her childhood far from Delaware County in both Tulsa, OK and later Nashville, TN. When her parents and brother moved to Broomall in 1992, Angela enrolled at Paxon Hollow Middle School, where she played the trumpet in the music program. Then as a student at Marple Newtown High School (MNHS) she continued to participate in several music programs including marching and concert band.
After graduating from MNHS in 1998, Angela furthered her education at West Chester University (WCU) and participated in the Golden Rams Marching Band her freshman year. At WCU she studied Psychology, something that had been of interest to her for many years, especially the area of neurology and how it affects people’s behavior.
Angela earned her BA in Psychology in 2002 and shortly after started a position in the medical staff credentialing field. “I enjoyed the work very much and that entry level position eventually led me to where I am today in a managerial position,” she explained. For the past 20 years, Angela has worked in the medical staff credentialing field for various healthcare companies. In her most recent role she’s been the credential manager for Neuromonitoring Associates, a company dedicated to offering professional monitoring services. “The best thing about working in healthcare is knowing the support I provide ensures quality patient care in the hospital operating room,” she said.
Outside of work Angela devotes much of her time to service in the community. For the past several years she’s been an extraordinary minister at St. Anastasia Parrish as well as a pre-jordan instructor, helping to prepare parents and godparents for a child’s baptism. She has also served in various volunteer roles with the MNHS Marching band, most recently in the role of Secretary.
Meanwhile, Steve grew up right here in Broomall on Schoolhouse Lane with his parents and brothers. His dad and brothers are also MNHS alumni (his mom’s an O’Hara alum) and Steve followed in his dad’s footsteps joining the marching band at MNHS, where he played the alto-saxophone and baritone sax. He was also a member of the school’s drama programs in middle school and high school where he performed in several of MNHS’s school musicals including a production of Fiddler on the Roof. Steve said that show was particularly fun because he was one of the bottle dancers during the wedding scene. “It definitely required a lot of practice and a careful balancing act,” he recalled. Then, in his senior year he participated in the pit orchestra.
Since 1997 Steve has worked for Sherwin Williams and is currently the retail assistant store manager. “The best thing about my job is the people,” said Steve. “I’ve been able to build relationships with both the people I work with and the customers over the years.” A very active member of our community, Steve also serves as an extraordinary minster and pre-jordan instructor at St. Anastasia and dedicates himself to the MNHS Tiger Marching Band in numerous roles. For several years, Steve was also a Boy Scout Leader of Troop 122 while his son was a member.
It’s probably no surprise that music is what brought Steve and Angela together. “Back in middle school even my mom had a hunch about us,” Steve said. “She met Angela’s mom when the band performed at the Marple Memorial Day Parade.” Steve’s mom’s hunch was right and it was during their high school years that her premonition came true. In this case it was Angela who made the first move. Always impressed by Steve’s musical talents and his confidence on stage, she worked up the courage to ask him to prom during their junior year of high school. “The Junior prom was approaching and I had a ’light bulb’ moment. I decided to ask Steve!” Angela explained. “My heart felt it was a risk worth taking and I would regret it if I didn’t take the chance.” “I remember hearing a petite voice behind me call my name,” Steve added. “When she asked me to go to Junior prom, I said yes!”
After the prom, Angela and Steve spent more and more time together and their relationship grew. They continued to date while Angela was a student at WCU and Steve was working and taking college classes. During that time Angela’s parents had moved to Ft. Smith, AR and she chose to stay at WCU to finish her degree. Each summer she’d travel to Arkansas to spend time with her family and return to PA during the school year to finish her classes.
As Angela’s senior year was approaching, Steve and Angela talked on and off about marriage and they knew important decisions needed to be made before her graduation. “We both knew our love and friendship was strong and valuable and we wanted our relationship to continue,” said Angela. “Having families in two states presented its challenges at times, but we found ways to make it work.” Steve knew that Angela’s parents would want them to wait until Angela finished her degree, so the timing had to be right. “After one of Angela’s summer trips back to Arkansas, I just got a feeling and I went with it,” Steve added. “I met her at the airport and to her complete surprise proposed that evening!”
The happy couple married in September 2003 in Ft. Smith, and then held a second wedding reception in October for family in PA to participate in the wedding festivities. “The best of both worlds!” said Angela. The wedding was followed by a honeymoon in Hawaii.
After they were married, Angela and Steve lived for a short time in Exton before settling in Broomall in 2005. “It just made sense with having family here and enjoying being part of this community,” said Steve. Marple has been a great place to raise their children, Matthew and Emily, both of whom are caring, confident, considerate and dedicated to their schools and community.
Mathew is a freshman at Widener University, where he’s majoring in Communications and is a mellophone player in the university marching band. A genuine Philadelphia sports fan, Matthew’s long-term goal is a career Sports Broadcasting. Matthew’s dedication to serving the community is impressive. For the past two years he’s been a volunteer with the Broomall Fire Company where his uncle Tom Dobbins serves as Chief of the department. In May 2024 Matt earned his Eagle Scout rank and he continues to enjoy being involved with the Boy Scout Troop 122 and served as the Archery Director at Resica Falls Scout Reservation.
Matthew’s younger sister Emily is a sophomore at MNHS and participates in Marching Band, tennis, concert and select choir. She is also a member of the MN Drama Stage Crew. Next month, Emily will represent Marple Newtown as part of the PMEA District 12 Choir. After high school, Emily has aspirations for a career in veterinary medicine or music education.
For Matthew and Emily, Marple’s music program has been an important part of the high school experience. “It was great to be able to spend time with so many people who I got along with,” said Matthew. Emily said that band has been a great place to find her people. “Being in band has allowed me to be more extraverted,” she said. “It’s one big family and a great way to explore your horizons.”
As two former members of MNHS Tiger Marching band, nothing has brought more joy to Angela and Steve than watching their children participate in an activity that is near and dear to them. “We have our own special memories of being in the marching band and take pride in being able to witness
the progress of the group each season,” Angela said, proudly. “We’ve also developed great friendships along the way.”
A desire to give back to the marching band was something that was passed down from their own parents. While Steve and Angela were in the marching band their parents dedicated a lot of time to volunteering. Steve’s parents, Steve Sr. and Nancy chaired the band’s biggest fundraiser, Bandarama, for several years. Angela’s dad, Claude Legris, was President of the Band Parents Association from 1997-1998 and the Voice of the Marple Newtown Tiger Marching Band for many years. Angela’s mom, Paula, also volunteered as a ’Band Mom’ throughout the marching band seasons. “Having our parents volunteer for the band and other organizations provided many special memories that inspired us to also volunteer and share that experience with our own family,” Steve and Angela said fondly.
Life is busy for the Dobbins in Broomall, especially during marching band season. When they get a chance to escape they look forward to trips to Cape May with Steve’s parents and Fort Smith, Arkansas where Angela’s parents and her brother and his family still live. On the banks of the Arkansas River, the Dobbins’ visits there include trips to the mountains and Hot Springs and enjoying the water parks with extended family. “Not only do we enjoy spending time with my parents and sister, we love exploring the area,” said Angela. “It’s our home away from home.”
For all the Dobbins family does for our community, we’re glad they choose to call Broomall home! Your Marple Friends & Neighbors thank you for sharing your story!
Do you know a Marple family, individual or nonprofit group who should become known by our community? Make your nominations for upcoming feature articles by emailing your ideas to Holly Stupak
at HStupak@BestVersionMedia.com.