Louis Jay Kober

Louis Jay Kober, a retired lawyer whose wisdom and kindness touched four generations of family and friends, died at age 97 on July 30, 2022, at his Bonita Springs, FL, home. He was born on November 25, 1924, in Irwin, PA, where he and his boyhood pals played sandlot baseball and shot marbles. He attended the University of Pennsylvania on a scholarship and served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific during World War II. After the war, he returned to the University of Pennsylvania, where he attended law school on the GI Bill. A well-respected member of the Westmoreland County, PA, Bar Association, Lou practiced law for 52 years in Greensburg and North Huntingdon, PA, at times accepting a dozen fresh eggs in lieu of a fee. He was proud when his son, Louis Jay Kober II, joined him in the practice. On weekends, he put his bulging briefcase aside and piled his children, nieces, and nephews into his Plymouth station wagon for hikes, splashes in pastoral creeks, and stops for ice cream and penny candy. He and his wife of 49 years, Elizabeth (Betty) Franicola Kober, enjoyed bridge, golf, and annual seashore vacations with a lively group of family and friends. After Betty’s death in 2002, he moved to Southwest Florida, where he found new adventures and a welcoming community at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Naples. Well into his 90’s, he bicycled through Florida’s backcountry and kayaked the waterways, from Fakahatchee Strand to Matlacha Pass. For many years, Lou—known as “Pappy” to the children of his church—taught Sunday school and attended Thursday Bible study with his granddaughter Alex. He took pride in his library of nearly two thousand books, ranging from meaty political and historical biographies to novels of urban life. He was a Pittsburgh Steelers season ticket holder for 40 years and witnessed the 1972 “Immaculate Reception” at Three Rivers Stadium. He later became a Miami Dolphins season ticket holder, attending many home games with his grandson Jay. He is survived by his two daughters, Nancy Kober of Charlottesville, VA, and Susan Kober of Bonita Springs, FL; his son Louis Jay Kober II (Jay), daughter-in-law Karen Kober, and granddaughter Alexandra (Alex) Kober of North Huntingdon, PA; and his grandson Louis Jay Kober III (Jay), granddaughter-in-law Emma Crist Kober, and great-grandson Louis Jay Kober IV (Louis) of Cambridge, MA. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, August 3, at 11 am at Emmanuel Lutheran in Naples. A private interment will be held at a later date at Union Cemetery in Irwin, PA. Arrangements are being handled by Shikany’s Bonita Funeral Home, Family Owned Since 1978.

Louis Jay Kober

November 25, 1924 - July 30, 2022