Obituary of Shirley Jeanne Hoberg

Shirley Jeanne Hoberg (nee Kieser) died peacefully in Sunnyvale, California on February 6, 2020 at the age of 93.

Shirley was born in Philadelphia on April 27, 1926, the daughter of Ellwood Kieser and Helen (Kleinsmith) Kieser. She earned a BS in chemistry from Chestnut Hill College. In 1948, she married George G. Hoberg of Trevorton, Pennsylvania, and they made their home in the Philadelphia area. Their growing family kept her very busy but Shirley somehow managed to give each of her nine children special formative experiences, including rigorous education, sports, music, outdoor adventures and plenty of books. Her unique creative spark, her sense of wonder and her zest for life enriched the people around her. In 1970, she took her children on a 6-week trip across the USA in a motor home, with George joining them intermittently. The family relocated to California in 1972 and settled in Atherton. Through 63 years of marriage, Shirley and George took good care of each other. He helped her compensate for her hearing loss and she helped him compensate for his Parkinson's Disease as they navigated through daily chores, trips to the beach and the mountains, visits to far-flung family and adventures abroad. In addition to managing her busy household, Shirley volunteered at Saint Joseph's School library, the Palo Alto Food Closet and the Allied Arts Guild Auxiliary.

Shirley was preceded in death by her husband, George, and her brothers Ellwood E. Kieser, Curtis William Kieser, and Donald J. Kieser. She is survived by her nine children: Christa Bizer (Ron), Janet Gingold (Mark), Eric Hoberg (Jeanne), Gregory Hoberg (Christine), Loretta Burns (Robert), George G. Hoberg, Jr., Peter Hoberg (Molly), Kathryn Arehart (Brad), Paul Hoberg (Mev); 21 grandchildren: Timothy Bizer, Stephen Bizer, Katherine Bizer, Daniel Gingold (Janelle), Elizabeth Gingold (Jyothis Sreekumar), Sarah Gingold, Melissa Hoberg (Eric Koethe), Matthew Hoberg (Kirby), Zachary Hoberg, Alexandra Burns Berard (Sean), Emily Burns, Sophie Hoberg Harrison, Samuel Hoberg Harrison, Theresa Hoberg, Rebecca Hoberg, Patrick Hoberg, William Hoberg, Joseph Arehart, Christopher Arehart, Margaret Hoberg and Charles Hoberg; and four great-grandchildren. Her family deeply appreciates the tender care she received from caregivers at Belmont Village in Sunnyvale in recent years.

Funeral services will be held at 10 AM on Thursday, Feb. 13 at Saint Raymond's Church, 1100 Santa Cruz Avenue in Menlo Park. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Arrangements are by Spangler's Mortuary in Los Altos. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be sent to the South Palo Alto Food Closet or your favorite food bank.