86-year-old man slain outside South Side home ‘saw the good in everybody,’ son says

Charles Hobson Sr. loved singing in his church choir around Christmas — he did so every year for nearly seven decades.

“The church was his passion,” Charles Hobson Jr., his son, told the Sun-Times. “He loved God and he loved people. He saw the good in everybody.”

Hobson Sr., 86, was fatally shot and robbed on his front lawn in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on Saturday morning. Police spotted three people inside his brand new SUV speeding away.

Two people were arrested but Chicago police have not announced charges.

Hobson Sr. grew up in the Garfield Park neighborhood and was an entrepreneur who had various businesses, including two shoe stores on 47th Street in the 1960s, according to his son. He retired from entrepreneurship “about 10 to 15 years ago,” his son said.

Since then, Hobson Sr. enjoyed traveling to a timeshare he had in Aruba or to Atlanta, where all his kids live, to visit his children. He also loved jazz music — his favorite artists were John Coltrane and Miles Davis.

“He liked classics,” Hobson Jr. said of his dad’s affinity for jazz.

Hobson Jr., 64, is one of four children Hobson Sr. had. When asked about how many grandchildren his father had, Hobson Jr. needed a few moments to take count — the final tally was eight. He also had two great-grandchildren with a third on the way.

Surveillance video shows two men — one armed — walking up to Hobson Sr. and shooting him in the leg about 10 a.m. in the 8100 block of South Throop Street, according to police reports. One of the assailants then picked something up from the ground before they both fled.

Officers responding to a call of a person shot found Hobson lying unconscious on the grass and then spotted Hobson Sr.’s missing 2023 Lincoln Nautilus traveling through the alley behind his house, according to the reports.

Hobson Sr. died about an hour later.

Blood was found on the grass in front of Hobson’s home and inside his Nautilus SUV.

Hobson Sr. drove Lincoln model vehicles for as long as Hobson Jr. could remember and had recently traded his 30-year-old Lincoln Continental for a 2023 upgrade, his son said.

Hobson Jr. last saw his father when he made the trip from Atlanta for a 130th church anniversary celebration earlier this month at St. Mark United Methodist Church, where the two hugged and talked.

“He was a man everybody looked up to. He had words of encouragement for everybody he came in contact with,” Hobson Jr. said. “I’m going to miss his voice, his smile.”

Hobson Jr. described his father as someone who he “never heard say a cross word to anybody.”

“He is going to be missed tremendously in his community, his church, his family,” Hobson Jr. said. “Those that knew him, loved him. I cannot imagine anybody that would have anything negative to say.”

Hobson Jr. told the Sun-Times his father’s smile was the physical trait that stood out most about him.

“His smile was sunshine.” Hobson Jr. said. “It was light, it was disarming.” “He loved life. He’d always look for the positive in everything,” Hobson Jr. said.