Marie was a medical assistant for 38 years, retiring in 1988 and taught Sunday School for 40 years.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Austin Beard & Mary Helen (Cromer) Hoch; husband, Ray Rauber; son, Ronald Ray Rauber; brother, William O'Dell "Bill" Hoch.
Survivors include brother, Austin Beard "Jack" Hoch, Jr.; sister-in-law, Sue Hoch, both of MD; grandchildren, Lisa (Lowell) Wiebe of Valley Center, KS and Ty (Brenda) Rauber of Wichita, KS; great grandchildren, Logan (Paige) Wiebe, Austin Rauber, Loryn Wiebe, Aaron Rauber, Rebecca Rauber all of Wichita, KS and Laura Wiebe of San Francisco, CA; great-great granddaughter, Harper Wiebe of Wichita, KS; she also leaves several nieces, nephews and other relatives to cherish her memory.
A visitation will be held Friday, February 5, 2021 from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM and Celebration of Life will occur Saturday, February 6, 2021 at 1:00 PM, both at DeVorss Flanagan-Hunt Mortuary. Services will also be livestreamed. Graveside service will follow at Greenwood Cemetery, 6231 W. 47th St. South, Wichita, KS 67215.
As a child, no one appreciates the energy and strong belief system that it takes to raise you to adulthood. I look back at Marie Rauber, my “Nanny”, and I am amazed at her super human energy and strong Christian Beliefs. Let me paint just a small portrait of the incredible Woman that I got to love and be cherished by every weekend of my entire childhood.
A child of the Depression and teenager of World War II, Marie left school after the 9th grade to help raise her two brothers, keep her parent’s home, and look after her ailing Grandmother. The Hoch Family did everything they could for the War effort; which is documented in detail in the magazine series, “Look Magazine”. Marie secretly married a soldier, Private Ray Rauber, at age 17. Ten months later Marie traveled from Hagerstown, Maryland to Wichita, Kansas completely alone and 8 ½ months pregnant. While on the way, the relative she was to stay with died; undaunted, she came to this unfamiliar city, making it her home for 74 years. Ray and Marie were married for 63 years when she became widowed in 2005.
Marie loved children. Due to birthing complications, Marie and Ray were only blessed with one child; a son, Ronald (Ron). Ray got released from the military and met his son after he was 18 months old. Once the Rauber family was established in their new Wichita home, they had nieces and nephews from Maryland come say in the summers. Marie taught Sunday School every weekend at the Brethren Church (Wichita and Derby) for 40 years. Nanny ponce shared with me that the hardest thing she ever faced was the loss of her “daughter”, Sarah. The family had establish a relationship with an orphaned girl and gone through the 2 year adoption process to have it fail at the last moment.
Marie worked full time, but always had a side business. She was quite the entrepreneur. While employed as a clerk in a drug store in downtown Wichita during the early 1950’s, a physician noticed her customer service skills and asked her to be his “nurse”. Dr. Emery taught Marie, and she was a Medical Assistant for 38 years, retiring in 1988. She worked Monday through Fridays full time all those years. Some of her additional self-ran businesses included; teaching ceramics in her basement on week nights, hosting painting parties, frequent garage sales on weekends, and eventually having a booth at the Wichita Flea Market. She specialized in pressed glass, china and dolls.
So while Marie worked full time outside the home, had a side business, bowled on a league with friends, kept their home clean, tended her large garden, made every evening meal and packed every lunch the family ate; she still had time to be a Nanny to her two grandchildren EVERY weekend. Amazing!
