Submitted by: Dan Rich
Jan 27, 1918 - July 29, 2008
South Bend Tribune 8/2/2008
SOUTH BEND - John Hillman Lobeck, a man who always made
the most of the opportunities that life gave him, left this life
on Tuesday, July 29, 2008, after a long and difficult battle with
cancer, which he fought with the same quiet resolve and strength
he brought to all the challenges he faced in his long life. He
was 90 years old. John, who had been treated for cancer and its
complications since November, 2006, died at Sterling House
Assisted Living in South Bend, where he had resided for the last
four months. He and his wife Anne, who passed away in 2002, lived
for most of their married life in the home they built in the
early 1960s on South Bend's far south side, where they raised
three children: Joyce (Patrick) Strickler of Viroqua,
Wisconsin; John (Vickie) Lobeck of Chassel, Michigan; and
Jennifer (Gary) White of Eagle Lake, Michigan. John was
born Jan. 27, 1918, to Albert and Lucy Lobeck, and was raised
with three sisters and three brothers in the Walkerton area
before the family moved to South Bend in the 1930s. John's
parents, his sister Marian Andersen, and his brother Paul
Lobeck preceded him in death. He is survived by two sisters,
Dorothy Burnside of Florida, and Vera Stahly of Indiana, and by
two brothers, Richard Lobeck of North Carolina, and Robert Lobeck
of Florida. In addition, John is survived by 11 grandchildren:
John Strickler of Charleston, South Carolina; Joseph Strickler of
St. Joseph, Michigan; Emily Strickler of Viroqua, Wisconsin; Lucy
(George) Judy of Neenah, Wisconsin; Peter Strickler of
Dallas, Texas; Mary (Tim) Boesch of Fredonia, Wisconsin;
John Lobeck of Ironwood, Michigan; Jeff Lobeck of Marquette,
Michigan; Jodie (Brian) Zuchowski of Blaine, Minnesota;
Amanda White of Bloomington, Indiana; and Andrew White of
Indianapolis, Indiana. John is also survived by 14 great
grandchildren. Along with other members of his generation,
As a young man, John landed an
apprenticeship at Torrington Company in South Bend and remained
with the company for his entire career, rising to a position as a
design engineer whose expertise and knowledge resulted in several
ball bearing design patents for the company before his retirement
in 1980. At the time of his death, John had outlived nearly all
of his fishing and golfing buddies. His fond and often funny
memories of planning and going on annual fishing trips and golf
outings were easily and frequently shared with others in the last
months of his life, as were his stories of growing up in a large
family in the challenging times of the Depression. In the early
1970s, John and Anne built a cabin overlooking a small lake in
northern Michigan, and they spent many weekends and vacations
there, enjoying the peacefulness of the wooded setting and the
pleasures of hours on the lake catching countless bluegills and
perch, many of which eventually made their way into the family
skillet. The cottage remains a central place in the lives of
John's large extended family. The lessons and memories that John
Lobeck carved out for himself and his family over a long and
rewarding life sustain all who knew and loved him. He belonged to
an extraordinary generation of men and women, many of whom were
never given much but made the most of what they had. The family
wishes to express its deep appreciation to all the medical
professionals who worked tirelessly with John to help him deal
with the difficult challenges he faced. They include the nurses
and attendants at Memorial Hospital of South Bend, the oncology
specialists at Michiana Hematology Oncology in the Navarre
Center, the staff of Sterling House Assisted Living, the care
givers at the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care and
SouthernCare Hospice in South Bend,
A private service & interment will be at
Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Osceola on Monday, Aug. 4.