Don was born on August 24, 1920 at the family homestead at Gopher, MT. He was the son of Harry A. and Jessie Hoover. Don was raised on the family ranch and attended the rural schools there. When the older children were ready for high school the family moved to Sheridan during the school year then went back to the ranch in the summer. He graduated from Sheridan High School. He and his brother, Duane, ran the ranch after his father passed away in 1937. The brothers carried mail in the area for forty-seven years. He was a brand inspector for many years for the state of Montana and was a member of the Montana Livestock Association. Don married Carol Spring on December 2, 1951. They lived on the ranch until retiring in 1993 when they moved to Sheridan. He attended Pine Butte Bible Church when they lived on the ranch. After moving to Sheridan he joined the Mountain View Fellowship Baptist Church. Don loved the ranch life with all the livestock and wild animals. He enjoyed taking hunters out hunting. Don loved sports, especially baseball and rodeos.

Don was preceded in death by his wife, Carol; his parents; two sisters, Bette Wilson and Jean Haraldson; and brother, Duane Hoover. He is survived by his five children, Janice Nelsen (Paul) of Beulah, N.D., Harry Hoover (Joan) of Sandy, UT, Ruth Cook (David) of Boone, N.C., Mary Hendricks (Roger) of Anderson, SC, and Rebecca Ashbridge (Stephen) of Eden Prairie, MN; sixteen grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at Kane Funeral Home on Friday, October 26, 2007 at 2:00 pm with Pastor Hayden Porter officiating. Interment will follow in the Sheridan Municipal Cemetery. Kane Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

SheridanMedia.com - October 23, 2007