Gregory Sobel, mediator; at 47
By Matt Burke, Globe Correspondent | June 25, 2005
Gregory B. Sobel began his commitment to public service early -- opening a soup kitchen at the age of 16 -- and never lost it.
He spent his professional life as a legal mediator, trying to make peace among environmentalists, corporations, and the government. He was also quick to drop his own concerns to help out his ailing grandparents or assist his mother in caring for his mentally disabled sister.
The last entry in the journal Mr. Sobel kept most of his life, reads: ''Be good to one another, love one another, and try to make changes in the world."
Mr. Sobel, 47, of Sudbury, who never fully recovered from a 1996 car accident, died May 4. His funeral will be held today.
Since the accident, Mr. Sobel fought off the pain by trying to inspire others to get involved in the lives of the less fortunate, said his executive assistant, Peggy Groppo of Framingham.
''He would tell people who offered him their assistance: 'Don't help me because you think that I'm approachable, help the disabled person on the street that you are ashamed to look at,' " Groppo said.
Mr. Sobel, who walked with a cane after the accident, always found peace in the wilderness, hiking, climbing, and whitewater rafting, family and friends said. He also loved a good game of poker.
''He was a wonderful -- cheerful -- person," said his mother, Joan Kolobielski of Baltimore.
Mr. Sobel, who grew up in Baltimore, attended Essex Community College in Baltimore, and Western Washington University, where he majored in environmental studies and was elected student body president. He later earned a law degree from Northeastern University School of Law and a master's degree in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Mr. Sobel earned a national reputation for his work as an environmental mediator, said colleague Kim Vogel of Lincolnville, Maine, who described him as a ''star and a pioneer" in the field.
He helped resolve many high-profile environmental disputes, including the cleanup of the Massachusetts Military Reservation on Cape Cod, the Housatonic River in Western Massachusetts, and Fort Devens in Ayer.
He was director of the environmental mediation program for the Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution, where he designed mediation programs for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Mr. Sobel also founded Environmental Mediation Services, which provided mediation services nationwide.
''Greg felt that the legal process was the best way to change things," his mother said. ''He could see how things could be better and he committed himself to the change at all levels."
Mr. Sobel connected with people in an intimate way. ''No matter whether you cleaned his house or worked in government, he connected with your feelings in a very short period of time," Groppo said. ''He was the most caring, in-your-face person, I've ever known."
Thursday, on what would have been Mr. Sobel's 48th birthday, friends gathered at his home in Sudbury to remember him.
In addition to his mother, Mr. Sobel leaves a sister, Christine; and a brother, Andrew, both of Baltimore.
A service will be held today at 2 p.m. in First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Sudbury.