Barbara Hoven passed away on August 15 in her home in Helena after a courageous battle with cancer. She was born January 11, 1947 in San Francisco to James and Grace Barry. She married husband Dan Hoven in Santa Clara 1976, and in 1978 moved to Helena where she would live, work, and raise her two sons, Derek and Michael.<\/p>\n
Barbara\u2019s humor, vitality, and quiet strength affected all who were part of her life. As a caring and devoted wife and mother, a steadfast friend, and a hardworking educator, her generous and lively spirit never flagged.<\/p>\n
Barbara\u2019s love of reading and learning, as well as her natural rapport with children, led her into the field of education in the mid 1980s when she began co-teaching at the Early Movement Pre-School. Within a few years she began working with the Helena School District, where she remained until she retired in 2007. Throughout the years she worked with students from preschool through fifth grade, and her position in the Central School library was an ideal fit. There she had the opportunity to be with the children and share her love of reading. Barbara knew the books well and was able to place just the right book into the hands of each student, one of many skills that made Mrs. Hoven a favorite educator of so many students.<\/p>\n
Barbara took great joy in time spent with family and friends, whether at the beaches she learned to love in childhood or on the trails of her adopted Montana. Her modesty and her quick smile were matched by a competitive spirit that challenged many people on the tennis courts and at the card table, and helped her cheer on her sons and husband in all the sports they pursued.<\/p>\n
In her final years, Barbara had a great appreciation for the nurses at the Cancer Treatment Center, whose compassion, knowledge, and care were a great comfort.<\/p>\n
She was preceded in death by her parents James and Grace Barry; her sister Janet Barry Casolary and nephew Jeffery Casolary; and her sisters-in-law Renee Hoven and Mary Schulze.<\/p>\n
She is survived by her husband, Dan of Helena; her sons Derek (Katie) Hoven of Milwaukee, and Michael of Boston; her grandchildren Charlie and Hannah Hoven of Milwaukee; siblings Jim (April) Barry of San Jose, Calif., Catherine Barry of San Francisco, Calif., and Mary (Dave) Swanson of Folsom, Calif.; her brother-in-law and sister-in-law Gordon and Bette Hoven of Helena, and her brother-in-law Steve Schulze of Kalispell; her nephews Gordon Russell Hoven of Helena, Patrick Hoven of Seattle, Ryan Barry of San Jose, Calif., and Matthew Swanson and William Swanson of Folsom, Calif.; and her nieces Erica Hoven of Seattle and Shawna and Kristen Schulze of Kalispell.<\/p>\n
Local arrangements have been made at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home, with a vigil service to be held there at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, August 18. Funeral services are scheduled for 12:00 pm on Thursday, August 19 at the Cathedral of St. Helena. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Lewis & Clark Library Foundation, 120 South Last Chance Gulch, Helena, MT 59601 or to the Cancer Treatment Center, c\/o St. Peter\u2019s Hospital, 2475 Broadway, Helena, MT 59601.<\/p>\n","photo":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/241300_profile_pic.jpg","youtube_video_url":"","family_email":"","family_first_name":"","family_last_name":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case\/414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/case"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}