Neva Sober, 88: Former Waldenwoods Employee Will Be Missed

Neva B. Sober is remembered as a helpful, kind person, a talented cook and a dedicated church helper. Sober died Sunday, Nov. 21, at her home in Oceola Township. She was 88.

A 1940 graduate and a lifetime resident of the Howell area, Sober worked in Howell's D&C store as well as  in Hartland. She enjoyed baking, especially bread and pies, and was active in in Oceola Township.

"It's a deep loss, but we know her health was not good for a couple of years," said Evelyn Cornell, Sober's neighbor for 50 years. "She'd been a very caring person and was always doing things for others."

Cornell, 68, who is the Oceola Township treasurer, said Neva was born into a farming family and thus was accustomed to working hard. She lived in a piece of local history – her home on Brophy Road formerly was the old Browning Country School.

Sober will be sorely missed, said Diana Schultz, friend and former coworker in housekeeping at Waldenwoods. (Sober also assisted with waitress duties there.)

Schultz, 60, worked with Sober about eight years, and describes her as a caring, cheery person. "She always had a smile on her face. She would help anybody. She was there for me when my husband had open heart surgery. That's just the kind of person she was."

Schultz added that Sober, who retired in the early 1990s due to health issues, remained active at Hardy. "She was very religious," she said. '"Church was important to her."

Dorothy Merrill, 79, said her aunt was an outgoing, social person who put those skills to work for Hardy. "She helped out a lot in the church," Merrill said. "Any dinner, any project, she was ready to help. … She was a very active person in the church. And she was very jovial." 

Cornell agreed Sober was active in the women's group at Hardy, where she put her cooking skills to work regularly for church events. "She made the best rolls," Cornell recalled. 

Sober was the youngest in a family of four children. "When my mother (the eldest) died, I took her over as my mother," Merrill said. "We had a lot of good times together."

Born Nov. 13, 1922, in Livingston County, the daughter of Raymond and Edith (Stoddard) Salmon, Sober is survived by her children, Cleo Callahan of Howell, Gary Sober of Fowlerville and Gale (Shadow) Sober of Howell, as well as seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles, and her siblings Stanley, Clifford and Gertrude.

Visitation was Tuesday 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. with a funeral 11 a.m. Wednesday at MacDonald's Funeral Home in Howell, followed by a burial at VanKueren Cemetery in Oceola Township.

Memorial contributions to the charity of one's choice are suggested.