WILLIAM KOBER

William (Bill) Hans Kober, age 93, passed away of aspiration pneumonia on Thursday, May 31, 2018, in Appleton, Wisconsin, surrounded by his loving family.  He was born in Wilke, Niederschlesien, East Germany, on October 27, 1924, son of late Richard K. and Marie Kober.

Bill grew up during very turbulent times in Europe. As with all able bodied young men during this time, he was eventually inducted into German military service, initially working as a mechanic in Latvia.  Towards the end of WWII, virtually all service men were expected to fight, so Bill was given a rifle and shipped off to various locations.  When the war ended, Bill, being born in East Germany, was considered a refugee, and had nowhere to go.  So he worked his way to northern Germany, where his sister's in-laws lived, to seek refuge. That is where he met his wonderful wife of over 67 years, Erika.  They were married on October 28th, 1950.  Since Germany was devastated by the war, they decided to immigrate to the United States to seek a better life. They arrived with their little daughter, Barbara, in New York Harbor in December of 1953 and then boarded a train for Chicago.

Bill was a machinist by trade and spent over 30 years working for Continental Can Company, now known as Crown Cork and Seal. For the first several years, he worked as a machinist in their Chicago factory.  Bill's strong work ethic and technical expertise eventually helped him achieve a position as a service representative, traveling the U.S. coordinating canning machine installations and preventative maintenance, and troubleshooting and repairing major breakdowns.  Bill retired from Crown Cork and Seal in 1982, and always felt extremely fortunate that he and Erika were able to enjoy such a long, healthy retirement.

Bill and Erika were blessed with four children. Family meant everything to Bill. He worked very hard so his wife and children could grow up and live by a lake during their early years.  Fishing was one of his favorite hobbies, as was taking care of his yard and feeding the birds.  He also enjoyed playing the harmonica.  Bill was adored by his grandchildren and will always remain in his family's hearts.

He is survived by his wife, Erika (Appleton), children:  Barbara (Ed Kozel) Kober of Rockford, IL, Richard (Lora) of Morton, IL, Herbert (Angie) of Westcliffe, CO, Robert (Lisa) of Brillion, 6 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.  Bill is further survived by his sister, Anneliese Schmidt in Grundau, Germany, and brother Hans in Pfungstadt, Germany as well as several nieces and other relatives there. He was preceded in death by his sister Hilda, brother Helmuth, and grandson, Peter.

A visitation and memorial service will be held on July 7, 2018, at Westgor Funeral Homes, 1140 Appleton Rd., Menasha, WI.  Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. with a memorial service following at 11:00 a.m.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org.