Leroy Hovland

LeRoy A. Hovland, age 89, of Willmar, died unexpectedly Wednesday morning, May 23rd, at his home.
Funeral services will held at 11 A.M., Saturday, May 26th, at Faith Lutheran Church in Spicer with Rev. Matthew Peterson officiating. The interment will be in the Spicer City Cemetery. Friends may call from 5-8 P.M. Friday at the Peterson Brothers Funeral Home in Willmar and one hour prior to the services at the church.
LeRoy Alexander Hovland was born on April 30, 1918 in Columbus, North Dakota, the son of Alma (Haga) and Joseph Hovland. At the age of two, he moved with his family to the Rothsay, Minnesota area and settled by Melby Lake. LeRoy grew up in that area and received his education in the country schools. He moved to North Dakota to work for his uncle for a year before returning to Minnesota to work with the Civilian Conservation Corporation (CCC) in northern Minnesota. He worked there for one year before returning home to work on the family farm. On February 26, 1943, he was married to Junnette Mildred Anderson in Rothsay and they made their home on the farm. They moved to Pelican Rapids where LeRoy worked in a farm implement shop as a mechanic and also drove school bus. In 1957, they moved to Horace, North Dakota, and LeRoy worked at a grain elevator and in 1961, and was assistant fire chief for the volunteer fire department. They returned to Pelican Rapids and he managed a grain elevator in Erhard. LeRoy and Junnette were foster parents during this time. They moved to Bagley in 1966 to work on a large chicken farm. While there he was instrumental in organizing the White Earth Indian Reservation Mission. In 1968, LeRoy received his GED at the age of 50 and moved to Moorhead to work at Concordia College Maintenance Department and in 1971 to Minneapolis where he worked for the War Memorial Blood Bank in the maintenance department. To be closer to their children, in 1979, LeRoy and Junnette moved to the Willmar area and he was the maintenance supervisor at Bethesda Homes until he retired in 1982. LeRoy then worked part time at the New London-Spicer schools and at the Willmar Civic Center until 1999. On May 23, 2007 LeRoy passed away unexpectedly at his home at the age of 89. He was an active member of Faith Lutheran Church and served on various committees in Spicer and previously on other church committees were they resided and a member of church choirs. He enjoyed playing guitar and singing; he had a beautiful tenor singing voice. For three generations, children to great-grandchildren, he taught them the song, "You Are My Sunshine." LeRoy loved to attend family activities and visit with family and friends. He enjoyed fishing, playing horseshoes, telling stories, and especially giving out Tootsie Rolls. He will be remembered for his great compassion, wisdom, wit, and sense of humor. His gift of life was felt by everyone who met him.
LeRoy is survived by his wife, Junnette of Willmar; children, Joyce (and Rodney) Paulson of Spicer, Doris (and Larry) Pompe of Spicer, Joline Hovland (and special friend Ivan Dusek) of Willmar, and Daryl (and Caroline) Hovland of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Also surviving are twelve grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren: Cindi (and Jay) Kroona, Katie and Hannah; Kari (and Peder) Naatz; Brian (and Heidi) Paulson; Valerie (and Jeff) Skarphol, Merryn and Ryan; Julie (and Brant) Hacker, Molly, Anna, and Sadie; Sarah (and Dean) Klundt, Ashley and Matthew; Amy Broten, Samantha and Kyler; Wendy (and Bruce) Quimby, Jesica, Jason, Jasmine, Jade, and Jackson; Erik (and Sara) Haider, Alexander and Ragan; Kristi Hovland; Tanya (and Garrett) Gruwell, Tabitha and Kyle; Derek (and Jen) Hovland; four step-grandchildren, nine stepgreat-grandchildren, one stepgreat-great-grandson: Barry (and Denise) Zimmerman, Andrea and Corey; Brent (and Staslie) Zimmerman, Will and Noah; Kent Zimmerman and Christian; Carla (and Greg) Dennis, Madison, Savannah, Aidan and Cassie Zimmermand and Devon. He is also survived by one brother, Ernest (and Darlene) Hovland of Pelican Rapids and two sisters; Ethel Goedert of Detroit Lakes and Alice (and Orris) Anderson of Barnesville. He was preceded in death by a grandson, Troy Haider; two great-grandsons, Zachary Skarphol and Austin Troy Haider; one brother Leonard, and three sisters, Myrtle Drechsel, Viola Christianson, and Eunice Christianson.