Don Hocking (1931-2018)

[bookslover]

Most of you will not have heard of him, but Don Hocking went home to be with his Lord on Christmas Eve of this year. He was 87.

Don was a native of Long Beach, California. After graduating from high school in 1949, he attended college (Biola, BJU) and then spent 55 years on the mission field - first in the Central African Republic (30 years) and then in Cameroon (25 years) from the middle 1950s until retiring about 10 years ago. He established 2 or 3 schools in those African countries and spread the gospel widely.

He was a lifelong (as far as I know) member of the National Association of Grace Brethren Churches (headquartered in Winona Lake, Indiana). He was not Reformed, as far as I know, but he served the Lord faithfully in his generation. He is survived by his, brother, his wife of 65 years (Betty), and by many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

After a long, productive, and useful life, he's home now.

 

[a mere housewife]

My mom stayed with Don and Betty for a year in Africa when she was a teenager, to help around the house etc. I met them when they came through and visited our family one time when they were in the states. She always spoke really fondly of her time with them. (Though I remember most vividly what she said about originally trying to pick all the ants out of the dough in making bread and before she left, pushing them back in ...)
My maternal grandpa(s) were Grace Brethren ministers.
Thank you for sharing this news.

 

[bookslover]

My mom stayed with Don and Betty for a year in Africa when she was a teenager, to help around the house etc. I met them when they came through and visited our family one time when they were in the states. She always spoke really fondly of her time with them. (Though I remember most vividly what she said about originally trying to pick all the ants out of the dough in making bread and before she left, pushing them back in ...)
My maternal grandpa(s) were Grace Brethren ministers.
Thank you for sharing this news.

When I first got saved in 1980, I attended the Grace Brethren Church in Long Beach, CA for the first four years of my Christian life. I never met Don, but I knew about him because his younger brother, Dave, was pastor of the church at that time. Before I saw the obituary, I didn't know that Don was ten years older than Dave. Dave will be 78 this year.