Honoring the Life of Lisa
This memorial is dedicated to celebrating the noteworthy and memorable life of Dr. Lisabeth Hock. Join us as we honor her academic achievements and cherished memories with family and friends.
Lisa Hock left us far too soon on December 20, 2025, at the age of 62. She died suddenly at home in the predawn hours of a Saturday morning.
For twenty-four years, she shaped minds and opened worlds as a professor of German at Wayne State University in Detroit. Though her scholarly roots lay in19th-century German women's writing, she had more recently presented and published on questions of literary globalism. A dedicated teacher who stayed up late answering student emails, she was the director of the Junior Year in Munich program—a role that took her to Germany for multiple academic terms so as to better serve her students.
She was also a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and aunt. She loved flora and fauna (birds being a particular interest of hers), contributed to multiple conservation organizations, and cared deeply about children around the world.
Whether you knew her as Professor Hock, Lisa, or Lisabeth, you knew someone who worked hard, cared deeply about her engagements, and showed up when it mattered.
Remembering Lisa
We've given those whose lives she touched the opportunity to leave memories and testimonials here. You will find one blog post for people who knew her better in a professional or academic context, and another if you knew her more in a personal context. Taken together, the comments will testify to the multifaceted person that she was.
Former students from any of the three institutions of higher learning where she taught are particularly encouraged to share testimonials and recollections here.
Click on whichever of the two options below corresponds to your affiliation and leave a comment to share your memories of Lisa — a moment in class, a conversation in her office, a neighborly interaction, a family gathering, anything.
