Dr. Hobert J. Setzer, Jr.

Hobert Joseph Setzer, Jr., age 92, died peacefully January 20 at Sunrise at Old Meridian in Carmel, IN with family by his side.

The Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 28th at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Mankato, MN, with Reverend Collette Broady Grund officiating. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. and continue until 11 a.m. at the church on Tuesday. Burial will be in Glenwood Cemetery, Mankato. Arrangements are with Mankato Mortuary. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

Hobert was born on September 27, 1927 to Hobert and Ruth (Snell) Setzer. He graduated from Kemper Military School in 1945, University of Minnesota in 1949, and graduated with honors from the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1953.  Hobert grew up in a loving home in St. Paul, Minnesota with two brothers, George and Robert. On June 20, 1953, he married the love of his life, Margaret Larson. Hobert and Margaret started their married life at March Air Force Base in Riverside, California where he served as a Captain. In 1956, Hobert was honorably discharged from the Air Force and moved back to Minnesota to complete his medical training. In 1959, Maggie and Hobie settled in Mankato and began to create a wonderful Christian home.

Throughout Hobert’s years in Mankato, he practiced as an internist at the Mankato Clinic for 38 years, from 1959 until his retirement in 1997. He touched many lives with his kind and gentle manner, his dedication as a physician, his skill as a brilliant diagnostician, and as a much beloved husband, father, brother, friend, father-in-law, grandfather, and uncle. He was a faithful member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church and a “lifelong learner” of history, current events, and innovations in medicine.

Hobert helped create many wonderful memories during his life. His love of the great outdoors was infectious, and he was an avid and accomplished outdoorsman. He was happiest when fishing and hunting, camping in the Boundary Waters, leading family outings to Highway 22, and swimming and sailing on Lake Francis. He delighted in sharing the wonder of God’s chapel found in nature with family and friends. By example and devotion, Hobie passed on his love of the outdoors and of God’s creations to his children and grandchildren, who were fortunate to spend countless happy hours with him in this capacity.

Hobert is survived by his children, Jean (John) Bergo of Bothell, WA, Ann (Tim) Buskirk of Carmel, IN, and Mark Setzer of Huntington Beach, CA; his grandchildren, Emily Inslee (Joe) and Nora Hansen of Seattle, WA, Jack Buskirk of Minneapolis, MN, and Ruthie Buskirk of Carmel, IN. Hobert is also survived by his brother, Robert Setzer of Hudson, WI, as well as many wonderful nieces and nephews, all of whom have enriched his life.

Hobert was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret; by his parents; and by his brother, George.

Hobert will best be remembered as a loving husband, amazing father and grandfather, trusted physician, treasured friend, and a man of faith. His grace and trust of God's will through the years serves as a role model to all who had the privilege of knowing our beloved father, grandfather, and friend.