Rev. John Hoeger

1923 - 2015

John A. Hoeger

John Aden Hoeger, 91, formerly of Sioux Falls, passed away on May 25, 2015, in Louisville, CO. He was born the sixth of 8 children to Amelia and August Hoeger on August 17, 1923, a few months after John's father, also a Lutheran pastor, founded the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society. Both John and the Society had their beginnings in the small prairie town of Arthur, North Dakota. Although John has died, the Society lives on as the largest not-for-profit provider of senior care and services in America, operating more than 240 centers throughout the United States, now serving more than 27,000 people of all beliefs and faiths.

John received a BA in Philosophy in 1945 from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He earned a Master of Divinity from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1948, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1987.

Following seminary graduation, John served for two years as the Administrator of the Society's Center in Parkston, South Dakota.

After his ordination in 1950, John became a parish pastor, serving congregations in Overland Park, Kansas, (1950-57) and Ontario, California (1957-66) before returning to the Society as the administrator of the Good Samaritan Village in Hastings, Nebraska (1967-72). Between 1972 and 1989, John lived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, working at Good Samaritan's National Campus as the Associate Director of the Society, then its President.

In 1952, John met and married parish worker, Katherine Mary Kaufman in Toledo, Ohio. Their lifelong partnership as instruments of Christ's love in service to others lasted until her death in 2012.

John is survived by three sisters, Ceclia Fjellman, Seattle, Washington; Laura Jerstad, Kissimmee, Florida; and Trudy Lucey, Glendale, California. John and Kathy have three children Mark Hoeger, Omaha, Nebraska; Mary Volz, Lafayette, Colorado; and Pastor Dan Hoeger, Merced, California. They were even prouder of their seven grandchildren, Christian, Eleanor, Kentaro, Dan, Drew, Marie and Katie.

John's memorial service was held on Saturday, May 30, at Good Samaritan Community Church in Kissimmee, Florida, where his remains were interred with his beloved wife, Kathy. Memorials in John's name are suggested to the Good Samaritan Society Foundation, Hoeger Scholarship Fund, 4800 W 57th St, Sioux Falls, SD 57108