Obituary of Benedict William Lohr

Benedict William Lohr June 29, 1928 - March 28, 2013 Chapel Hill Bill Lohr, 84, a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and man of many accomplishments, died Thursday, March 28, 2013, at home after a brief illness, surrounded by his immediate family. A native of Jamaica, Queens, NY, he was the son of Charles Henry Lohr Jr. and Margaret Louise Ruch Lohr. Bill attended Xavier High School and Queens College in Manhattan and Villanova University (biology,1952); he did graduate studies at Georgetown University (medicine; bioethics), and Northwestern University (research methods). In 1953, he became a member of Holy Cross Abbey (Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance [Trappists]) and was ordained in 1961; he also earned a Ph.L. in Philosophy at the Gregorian University, Rome (1963; "The Notion of God in Henri Bergson"). In 1964-1967, he co-founded an experimental religious community at 100 Acres Monastery, New Boston, NH, and taught at St. Anselm College, Manchester, NH, and St. Xavier's, Chicago, IL. From the late 1960s, Bill spent much of his career in health research and administration, mainly in US Public Health Service agencies (National Center for Health Services Research, especially in emergency medical services; Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Services and Resources Administration). Upon retirement from federal service in 1996, he joined the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and also worked with the NC Institute of Medicine. Bill's many talents included woodworking and furniture making; homebuilding skills from architectural drawing to plumbing and electrical wiring; photography, drawing, and watercolors; and gourmet cooking. As a youth, he was an avid bicycle racer. He will be greatly remembered for his wonderful sense of humor and myriad puns and stories. His abiding passion for history led him to deep knowledge of many topics, especially the Civil War and World War II; his delight in travel led him to Europe, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Alaska, and Australia. He loved Blue Ridge Mountains and the NC High Country and NC's Outer Banks. Bill's devotion to family was deep and abiding. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Kathleen N. Lohr; sons Sam (Debbie) Lohr; Lee (Connie Williams) Lohr; Christopher (Terri) Williams; Michael (Kristyn) Williams; and daughter Kirsten Lohr. He is also survived by his treasured grandchildren, Celia Lohr, Ian Williams-Lohr, Christopher Williams, David Williams, Luke Williams; Ryan Williams; Grant Hillick; Kaelyn Hillick, and Delaney Williams. He will be greatly missed by his brothers Charles and Andrew Lohr and sisters Barbara Frey and Joan Ann Sweeney and his many nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends on Monday, April 1, from 7 to 9 pm, at Walker's Funeral Home, 120 W. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC, 27516. Flowers are welcomed or memorials may be made to The Nature Conservancy (http://my.nature.org/donate/tribute-giving.html). A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, April 2, at 10 am, at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 940 Carmichael Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, http://church.st-thomasmore.org/welcome. Condolences and remembrances may be left at http://www.walkersfuneralservice.com/obituaries/Benedict-Lohr.