Dale Hoover

Dale E. Hoover, 77, of Danville, passed away at 6:40 p.m., Saturday, January 31, 2009 at the Hawthorne Inn in Danville. Dale was born September 7, 1931 in Danville, Illinois, the youngest of seven children to the late Marion and Bonnie (Claypool) Hoover. He lived in Bismarck until he was a Junior in High School and then moved back to Danville and graduated from Danville High School in 1949. Dale married Janet K. Cox on October 11, 1959. They would have celebrated 50 years together this year. Dale is survived by his wife Janet K. Hoover of Danville; three sons- Mark E. (Rayetta) Hoover of Mt. Morris, Michigan, Timothy W. (Lori) Hoover of Indianola, Illinois and Greg A. (Maggie) Hoover of Danville; one daughter- Karen J. (Rick) Ralston of Greenwood, Indiana; nine grandchildren- Christopher, Monte, Brandon, Amelia Hoover all of Mt. Morris, Michigan, Samantha and Quinton Hoover of Indianola, Illinois and Kirk, Reid and Rebekah Ralston of Greenwood, Indiana and one great-grandson of Mt. Morris, Michigan; one brother- James R. (Georgia) Hoover of Danville and two sisters- Clarice Cain of Findlay, Ohio and Eleanor Sizelove of Kokomo, Indiana; He also leaves behind several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and one sister. Dale was a devoted and loving husband and father and was a wonderful role model for his children. He was an active member of East Park Church of Christ, serving as an Elder, Deacon and Treasurer of that organization. In his spare time, Dale enjoyed carpentry work, including designing and building five homes, creating small home furnishings and refinishing antique furniture. Dale worked 38 years at General Motors Central Foundry Division in Danville. He graduated from General Motors Institute with an Industrial Engineering Degree in 1953. He later served four years in the United States Army until 1957. He then returned to General Motors and served in a variety of positions. Before becoming superintendent of quality assurance at the Tilton plant, he served there in a number of engineering and supervisory positions, including superintendent of the pattern shop, superintendent of material control, industrial engineering and production engineering. Dale was a Registered Professional Engineer in Illinois. He was a chairman of the Central Indiana Chapter of the American Foundrymens Society and was vice-president of the Illinois Cast Metals Association. After retiring, Dale was appointed to the Danville Public Library Board by Mayor Jones in 1988 and served 10 years as chairman of the building committee and vice-president of the board. He served on the Lincoln Trail Library System Board for five years, serving as President during his second year. He was a member of Illiana Genealogical and Historical Society and served as a treasurer. A Celebration of the Life of Dale E. Hoover will be at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, February 4, 2009, at East Park Church of Christ in Danville, with Pastor Dennis Floyd officiating. Visitation will be from 3:00p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 3, 2009 at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center. Entombment will follow the service in Sunset Memorial Park. Memorials may be made to East Park Church of Christ, Danville Public Library or to the Illiana Genealogical and Historical Society. E-mail condolences may be sent to the family at: www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.