Vera J. Hocker

Vera J. (Shenk) Hocker, age 96, of Luther Acres, Lititz, PA entered into rest on June 25, 2026. She was the devoted wife of Paul W. Hocker. Born near East Petersburg, in Penn Township, she was the daughter of Jacob K. Shenk and Ida (Bare) Shenk Brubaker, and the stepdaughter of Harry G. Brubaker. She is survived by a son, James F. Hocker, husband of Kimberly (Reilly) Hocker and three grandchildren, Rylie of Washington DC, Lydia, and Matthew Hocker both of Lititz; a nephew, David W. Ross, and a niece, Janet M. Miller, all of Sarasota, Florida. She was preceded in passing by her sister Velma J. Ross.

Vera was a 1947 graduate of East Hempfield High School and a 1956 graduate of Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana, with a B.A. in Education. She also earned a master’s degree from Millersville University in 1965. Between high school and college, she worked as a legal secretary in Lancaster. After completing college, she taught grades five and six in Radnor Township (Delaware County), Hempfield and Conestoga Valley Schools. The family lived in Bryn Mawr, PA, from 1968-1988, where she again taught in Delaware County.

Vera was a member of Church of the Apostles, Rohrerstown. Over the years, she taught Sunday School, Summer Bible School, and church related summer school and summer camp crafts classes. Her interests included reading, history, drawing and painting, sewing, including tailoring, and flower gardening. She was a member of the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society and a lifetime member of the Pennsylvania Association of Retired Teachers.

A Funeral Service honoring Vera’s life will be held on Thursday, July 2, 2026, at the Charles F. Snyder Jr. Funeral Home, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA, beginning at 5 PM. The family will receive guests from 4 PM until the time of service. Interment will take place at Hershey Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made in Vera’s name to Luther Acres.