Father Richard P. Hokanson Jr.

Father Richard P. Hokanson Jr., 64, a priest of the Diocese of Charlotte, N.C., and formerly a Worcester Diocesan priest, died April 29 at his home in Ocean Isle Beach after a brief illness.
A funeral Mass  to be held at 10 a.m. Friday in Our Lady of the Rosary Church, 7 Church St., Spencer.
A memorial service is being held May 16 at St. Brendan the Navigator Parish in Shallotte, N.C.
Father Hokanson was born and reared in Worcester, son of the late Richard P. and Lucile E. (Syner) Hokanson. He graduated from St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Conn., and St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Md.
He was ordained to the priesthood in 1974 at St. Paul Cathedral in Worcester. He served at several parishes in the Worcester Diocese including St. Louis, Webster; St. Mary, Southbridge; St. Luke the Evangelist, Westborough, and St. Stephen, St. Catherine of Sweden, St. Bernard and St. Joseph, all in Worcester. He was also a faculty member at St. Peter-Marian Central Catholic High School.
He moved to the Diocese of Charlotte in 1991, and was incardinated there in 1996. He was pastor of St. Joseph Church in Newton and Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont. In 2009 he became Catholic chaplain at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base near Goldsboro while assisting at several parishes in eastern Gaston County.
He enjoyed both classical and organ music and will be fondly remembered by many for his kindness, story telling and acerbic wit.
He leaves a sister, Janice E. Baronoski of Leicester; a brother, Stephen M. Hokanson of Worcester; three nieces, Krissi Forgues and her husband, Mark, of Auburn, Bethe Kichula and her husband, Peter, of Shrewsbury, Rebecca Baronoski of Princeton; four great nephews, Jay and David Forgues of Auburn; Owen and Samuel Kichula of Shrewsbury; two cousins, Marcia McGlynn and her husband, Lenny, of Holden, Marilyn Roy of Boylston; and his beloved dog, Maggie.
Kelly Funeral Home, 154 Lincoln St., Worcester, directed arrangements. The family suggests donations in memory of Father Hokanson be made to Guest House, 1601 Joslyn Road, Lake Orion, MI 48360 or St. John’s High School, 378 Main Street, Shrewsbury, MA 01545. To share your thoughts and memories with the family on-line, please visit www.kellyfuneralhome.com.