Adele Elaine Hoving

Adele E. Hoving was born February 25, 1934 to Jeannette and John Ekema in a rural farmhouse near Hancock, Minnesota. She attended school in Hancock and graduated as Valedictorian in 1951 and continued her education at Calvin College, graduating in 1955 with an English major. She traveled to Germany to marry Kenneth Hoving in Idar Oberstein in August of 1955 and they spent the following year traveling through Europe while her husband served as a medic in the army. They returned to Calvin to allow her husband to complete his undergraduate degree and she began her teaching career teaching fourth and eighth graders in Grand Rapids, MI. Ken and Adele moved to Seattle, WA while Ken completed his PhD in Psychology and then moved across the Midwest to Minneapolis and then Kent, Ohio where her husband taught at Kent State University and Adele taught high school Honors English at Kent Roosevelt High School. They adopted a daughter, Michelle and son, Dirk while in Kent and resided in Kent for 17 years. The family decided to move to Norman, Oklahoma in December of 1979 where Adele became involved in volunteering and part-time teaching and Ken served as Graduate Dean and VP for Research at all campuses at the University of Oklahoma. They lived in Norman for nearly 40 years.
Adele loved life in Norman and was active in many service organizations including the First Presbyterian Church Thrift Shop, PEO, University Women, School Bell, Assistance League and church choir. She and her husband were avid travelers and spent their retirement traveling with good friends, sailing in the Pacific Northwest and barging throughout Europe. They also took many trips to see their three grandsons play sports in high school and college including football, basketball, volleyball, and wrestling. Adele held her friends far and near close to her heart. She was a beautiful person both inside and out will be missed by many but especially her husband of 64 years. Adele died on October 20 at the Norman Health Plex from terminal lung cancer and subsequent heart problems.
She is survived by her husband Kenneth and son Dirk Hoving of Norman, daughter Michelle Anderson, son-in-law David and three grandsons Michael, Matthew, and Jon Tyler of Rockford, IL.; and sister Barbara Wymore, who now lives in St Paul, MN.
Services will be held on Friday, October 25, 2:00 PM at the First Presbyterian Church of Norman. Reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers remembrances may be made to the Thrift Shop at First Presbyterian church.