Joseph Hoover

Joseph W. Hoover fought his final battle with brain cancer and passed into an eternity with his Heavenly Father.  Joe was born in New Holland, PA on December 21, 1959 to Menno Z.  and Martha W. Hoover.  He attended Garden Spot High School. He married Sandra Hoover in Anchorage, AK in 1994.  They were blessed with two children, Nathanael (Carrie) Hoover and Natalie Hoover.

Joe served several years with volunteer service with the Mennonite Church in Alabama and Jamaica.  After that, he moved to Alaska and met his wife, Sandy, in Nome, AK on July 4, picnic.  They worked together for a year at a children’s home in Nome.  They married and moved to Golovin, AK and ran a grocery store in the small Eskimo village.  Joe worked at the Alaska Gold company until their closing in 1999.  He, then, attended Penn State Technical College for training in diesel mechanics.  After a year of training, the family returned to Alaska and Joe took a job with the IUOE 302 and worked various positions for seasonal work until he took a job working at Pump Station 1 on the Alaskan Pipeline for twenty-two years.  He worked until Covid made impossible to commute back and forth to work and retired in 2021.

Joe loved adventure and always wanted to try new experiences.   He had a strong faith in God and was a man filled with his grace.  He enjoyed traveling, helping others, and sharing Christ with others.  He was quiet and kind, accepting his diagnosis of cancer without complaint or fear.   He made friends where ever he went and always was there for those in need.

Joe is survived by his wife, Sandra, son, Nathanael and his wife Carrie, and his daughter Natalie, his brothers, Walter, Wilmer (Deb), Jerry, and Roy (Joy), sisters, Lavina (Calvin Yoder), Marty (Carl Zimmerman), Elva (Larry Martin), and Mary (Daryl Martin).  He has many nieces and a nephew, along with many great-nieces and great-nephews.  His parents preceded him in death, with sister-in-law, Andrea Hoover and nephew Bryan Hoover, and great-nephew Jayce.

A celebration of Joe’s life will be held in Lancaster County, PA in the near future.  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to LifeCare Hospice 1900 Akron Rd., Wooster, OH 44691 or to the family in care of Murray Funeral Home.