Obituary for Bob Hoburg
Robert Leland Hoburg, of New Milford, CT, age 89, passed away on Friday, May 13, 2022, with his family at his side. Robert “Bob” Hoburg was born May 10, 1933, in Atkinson, Illinois, a small town in North Central Illinois.
He was the oldest of three boys born to Leland and Eleanor Hoburg. Bob often told stories about his growing-up years; he had so many good memories of them.
In 1955, Bob graduated from Western Illinois State College, Macomb, Illinois, earning a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in mathematics and physics and a minor in chemistry. In 1956 he received his Master’s Degree, also from Western Illinois. It was while at Western Bob met Patricia Joan Steck (Joann). They were married on August 29, 1953.
In 1959, after four years teaching mathematics and science course at the secondary school level in Illinois, Bob entered The Ohio State University as a member of the National Science Foundation Fellowship group. He continued at Ohio State for three more years, completing the requirements, except for the dissertation, for the Ph.D. in Mathematics Education.
Bob joined the faculty of Danbury State Teachers College (that became Western Connecticut State University) in September 1963. His responsibility was to develop four year mathematics programs for both liberal arts and education majors, as well as supervise secondary school mathematics student teachers. Danbury State had received a mandate from the State Legislature to move from training only elementary teachers. Bob served WCSU until his retirement in 2001. From the three member department of 1963 to the Department of Mathematics and Computer science in 2001, there was great growth, in both course offerings and teaching faculty.
During his years at WCSU, Bob took doctoral courses at New York University, attended conferences, taught workshops and spoke at local schools. In the community he was active in his local church and served as the Town of New Milford’s representative on the Housatonic Area Regional Transit (HART) board from the year the service began in 1980 until 2016. Bob was the recipient of a Higgins travel grant for senior faculty in 1999 with which he went to Mozambique and Zimbabwe. He returned again in the summers of 2001 and 2002 to Mozambique to teach English.
Bob is survived by his wife and two daughters, Stacey Lynn Didato of Danbury and Mary Eleanor Mazza (Robert) of New Milford, by four grandchildren, Robert Louis Didato, Nicholas Arthur Didato, Athena Joan Mazza and Daniella Janet Mazza. Bob’s two younger brothers are Roger Francis Hoburg (Jeanne) of Omaha, Nebraska and Ronald Eugene Hoburg (Sheila) of Woodhull, Illinois. There are also well-loved nephews and their families, and cousins, living primarily in the Midwest and Far West.
A memorial service will be held at the United Methodist Church, 68 Danbury Road, New Milford, on Saturday June 18, 2022 at 11am, with a luncheon to following in the church’s Fellowship Hall. Contributions in Bob’s memory may be made to Our Daily Bread, United Methodist Church (a week free food distribution), The Scholarship Fund, United Methodist Church or the charity of your choice.
For those unable to attend in person, the Memorial Service will be live streamed via Zoom at:
https://newmilfordumc.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ca76e4064307cd24cc574ee31&id=b0881d4d84&e=7d139b86f8
Meeting ID: 943 9866 5147 Passcode: J1XLbe Call in: 1-646-558-8656
He was the oldest of three boys born to Leland and Eleanor Hoburg. Bob often told stories about his growing-up years; he had so many good memories of them.
In 1955, Bob graduated from Western Illinois State College, Macomb, Illinois, earning a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in mathematics and physics and a minor in chemistry. In 1956 he received his Master’s Degree, also from Western Illinois. It was while at Western Bob met Patricia Joan Steck (Joann). They were married on August 29, 1953.
In 1959, after four years teaching mathematics and science course at the secondary school level in Illinois, Bob entered The Ohio State University as a member of the National Science Foundation Fellowship group. He continued at Ohio State for three more years, completing the requirements, except for the dissertation, for the Ph.D. in Mathematics Education.
Bob joined the faculty of Danbury State Teachers College (that became Western Connecticut State University) in September 1963. His responsibility was to develop four year mathematics programs for both liberal arts and education majors, as well as supervise secondary school mathematics student teachers. Danbury State had received a mandate from the State Legislature to move from training only elementary teachers. Bob served WCSU until his retirement in 2001. From the three member department of 1963 to the Department of Mathematics and Computer science in 2001, there was great growth, in both course offerings and teaching faculty.
During his years at WCSU, Bob took doctoral courses at New York University, attended conferences, taught workshops and spoke at local schools. In the community he was active in his local church and served as the Town of New Milford’s representative on the Housatonic Area Regional Transit (HART) board from the year the service began in 1980 until 2016. Bob was the recipient of a Higgins travel grant for senior faculty in 1999 with which he went to Mozambique and Zimbabwe. He returned again in the summers of 2001 and 2002 to Mozambique to teach English.
Bob is survived by his wife and two daughters, Stacey Lynn Didato of Danbury and Mary Eleanor Mazza (Robert) of New Milford, by four grandchildren, Robert Louis Didato, Nicholas Arthur Didato, Athena Joan Mazza and Daniella Janet Mazza. Bob’s two younger brothers are Roger Francis Hoburg (Jeanne) of Omaha, Nebraska and Ronald Eugene Hoburg (Sheila) of Woodhull, Illinois. There are also well-loved nephews and their families, and cousins, living primarily in the Midwest and Far West.
A memorial service will be held at the United Methodist Church, 68 Danbury Road, New Milford, on Saturday June 18, 2022 at 11am, with a luncheon to following in the church’s Fellowship Hall. Contributions in Bob’s memory may be made to Our Daily Bread, United Methodist Church (a week free food distribution), The Scholarship Fund, United Methodist Church or the charity of your choice.
For those unable to attend in person, the Memorial Service will be live streamed via Zoom at:
https://newmilfordumc.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ca76e4064307cd24cc574ee31&id=b0881d4d84&e=7d139b86f8
Meeting ID: 943 9866 5147 Passcode: J1XLbe Call in: 1-646-558-8656