Obituaries

Father Anselm Ober, O.S.B.

 Fr. Anselm A. Ober, O.S.B., a monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, PA, died suddenly on Sunday morning, August 13, 2000, while visiting St. Athanasius Church in West View, Pa.

Fr. Anselm was born on April 15, 1915 in Pittsburgh, the son of the late Cyril and Anna (Fischer) Ober and was one of thirteen children. He attended St. Boniface Parochial School, North Side, Pittsburgh and the Saint Vincent Preparatory School. He then attended Saint Vincent College and Seminary.

He entered the Saint Vincent Monastic Community in 1935, making simple profession of monastic vows on July 2, 1936 and solemn profession of vows on July 11, 1939. He was ordained a priest on June 14, 1942.

Fr. Anselm devoted his life to serving in the pastoral apostolates of Saint Vincent Archabbey. He was on the faculty and staff of the James Barry-Robinson School in Norfolk, Virginia, from 1942 to 1945 and subsequently served in a number of parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the Dioceses of Covington, Richmond, Erie, Altoona-Johnstown, Pittsburgh and Greensburg. Fr. Anselm served as pastor of Saint Martin Church, New Derry, Pa., from 1961 to 1964; of Saint Bartholomew Church, Crabtree, Pa., from 1964 to 1967; and of Saint Bede Church, Bovard, Pa., from 1975 to 1980. He retired to Saint Vincent Archabbey in 1990 and in 1993 was reassigned to St. Gregory the Great Parish, Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he remained active until his death.

A man of great energy and enthusiasm, Fr. Anselm was a tireless worker possessed of a deep devotion to the monastic and priestly life. He also had an irrepressible sense of humor and an ability to amuse and entertain others which greatly endeared him to his frieds, parishioners and fellow Benedictines.

Fr. Anselm is survived by his sisters Mary Siegel, Helen Willman, Rita Brinker, Magdeline Dengleman, Rosemary Andreoletti, Dorothy Herrle and his brothers James and Joseph, all of whom live in the Pittsburgh area, by his sister Anna Margaret Louis of Chardon, Ohio and by nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his sister Dolores Tresky, a brother, Richard, and a brother, Joseph, who died in infancy.

At the request of the family in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Saint Vincent Archabbey in memory of Fr. Anselm.