Whately, MA – Francis C. Sobieski, 84, passed away on September 19, 2025, at his farm in Whately, MA. He was born on March 12, 1941, to Francis Sobieski Sr. of Deerfield, MA and Patricia Bartus of Northfield, MA.
Fran grew up on a farm in Northfield next to the Connecticut river and his grandparent’s dairy farm. Francis loved nature, plants and the outdoors. During his childhood, while not helping on the family farms, Fran spent his time boating, fishing and trapping along the river and in nearby forests. Over the years, his children, grandchildren and friend Sue Norris enjoyed many stories of his time on the river and other outdoor pursuits. A favorite story took place during the winter. Fran and his lifelong friend Richard had a particularly scary moment when icebergs almost capsized their canoes. After that experience, they never went canoeing in the winter again! When he was not on the river, he helped on his parents’ farm growing cucumbers, sweet corn, and tobacco or helped his grandparents on the Bartus dairy farm next door.
Francis graduated from UMass School of Stockbridge. He later became an arborist for the City of Rome, NY where he met the mother of his four children, Judy Neidl. In 1977, with their 4 children in tow, Francis and Judy returned to Western MA to start their own farm in Whately. With a lot of hard work, Sobieski’s River Valley Farm blossomed into one of the largest commercial high bush blueberry farms in Massachusetts. The farm’s success has continued with Franics’s youngest son, Robert and his wife Brieta Sobieski running the business.
Francis’s love of farming and growing vegetables continued till his death. Fran left his family and the many Cambodian friends who worked the farm alongside Fran with an enormous amount of seeds still to be planted.
He is survived by four children: Skip Sobieski (Betsy), John Sobieski (Shiang), Kimberly Sobieski (Shannon) and Robert Sobieski (Brieta). Ten grandchildren Amelia, Kaz, Summer, Kalia, Faythe, Rogan and Alita Sobieski and Hayden, Mae and Evalina McNally.
Please join us on our family farm in Whately, MA to celebrate Francis’s life on Sunday November 2 at 1:00pm.
For condolences, please visit www.kostanskifuneralhome.com.
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