When Henry Hobaica entered the pool and spa industry, it had a Wild West/Blue Suede Shoes element to it.

But that wasn’t his style.

Hobaica, who passed away July 26, had entered the industry as an educator. After serving in the Air Force, he had studied education at Boston University and earned a masters degree at Framingham State University. He went from serving as a reading teacher to heading a cutting-edge elementary-school curriculum and, eventually, an entire school district.

But parallel to that, Hobaica had a pool-industry career. As a young teacher, he got into building when a neighbor hired him to work on his summers off. After the neighbor decided to get out, Hobaica ran the business for a few years. He left shortly for a year-round education job, but eventually came back and started Easton Pool & Spa in 1972. In the mid 1980s, he transitioned to full-time pool builder, after which the company boomed.

His education background set him apart in his early days. “He was very professional in an industry that was unprofessional at the time,” says David Hobaica,Henry’s son and current president of Easton. “He took everything he learned from managing teachers and principles and developing different curriculum programs and brought that approach to the pool business.”

Not surprisingly, he took an educational approach to working with clients and employees. “First and foremost, he was an educator,” David Hobaica says. “He was always teaching, even in the way he sold pools.”

That approach extended to his staff, added Robert Hobaica, Henry’s son who now serves as Easton’s vice president/co-owner.

“He mentored a lot of our employees over the years, especially some who maybe didn’t have father figures at home or who came from broken homes. There were countless employees over the years that he really took a shine to and mentored.”

In the mid 1990s, Henry Hobaica began the process of transitioning ownership to his sons, including Paul Hobaica, who has since left for a career as a physician. By 2000, Henry was officially retired, but he retained an office and always checked in to offer advice, his sons attest.

“He was especially proud of how he transferred the business, and how we handled the transfer and sale,” David Hobaica said.

Henry Hobaica wrote two books. The first was a memoir, called A Rake, a Shovel and a Used Pickup Truck: Building a Successful Family Pool Business. With it, he strove to leave his family with a thorough story of his life, and to offer advice to the pool industry. His second book was called A Long Journey Well Traveled.

Among other achievements was the completion of a Boston Marathon at the age of 48.

Hobaica was 85 when he passed away from complications of liver failure. In addition to his three sons, he is survived by his wife of 57 years Roberta, daughter Ann-Margaret Dudley and eight grandchildren.