Obituaries
Missionary priest renewed Filipino communities with water and education
Father Raymond Hober, 1932-2024
Father Raymond Hober SVD, 92, a missionary in the Philippines for more than three decades, died Saturday, Aug. 3, at Techny, Ill.
Born in 1932 in McKees Rocks, Penn., Father Hober was the second of Stanley and Rosella (Semler) Hober’s two sons.
He entered the Society of the Divine Word in 1946 and professed vows in 1952 in New York. In 1960, he was ordained to the priesthood in Techny, Ill.
Following ordination, he was assigned to the Philippines, where he undertook additional theology courses in Manila before going to Mindoro, Philippines.
Father Hober taught English at Christ the King Seminary in Quezon City and served as director and principal of Naujan Academy in Naujan, Mindoro. During his 14 years with Naujan Academy, he also served as assistant Catholic school superintendent of Mindoro.
In 1975, Father Hober began 16 years with the Divine Word College of Calapan (DWCC) in Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro, where he was director of Student Affairs, administrative and finance officer, and vice president.
According to the DWCC website, “As a dedicated missionary, he was instrumental in providing scholarship opportunities to deserving students. He was also known for his ability to find water by establishing water wells for many communities.”
With a head for numbers and a heart for people, he simultaneously served the SVD Mindoro Province as treasurer. After a successful career in higher education, Father Hober was assigned to the Social Action committee of the Vicariate of Calapan. During this time, he found and dug water wells for communities desperately in need of fresh water.
In 2001, Father Hober was assigned to the Pittsburgh Community of the Chicago Province to travel and deliver mission appeals.
He moved to Techny in semi-retirement in 2016.
Father Hober was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Robert Hober.
The wake service and funeral for Father Hober was Aug. 8. He is buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Techny.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations for the care of retired missionaries may be sent to The Rector, Divine Word Residence, 1901 Waukegan Road, P.O. Box 6000, Techny, IL 60082-6000.