Ruth Vial Hovelson, age 84, died Saturday, March 9th, of complications of Parkinson’s Disease and a fractured hip. She was born Dec. 23, 1934 on a farm near Laurens, Iowa, the daughter of Ralph and Flora Vial.
Ruth attended Ware Consolidated School in Pocahontas County, Iowa through ninth grade. She then attended Laurens High School, graduating in 1952. She enrolled at Iowa State Teachers College (ISTC), now University of Northern Iowa, where she received a two-year elementary teaching degree.
She taught fifth and sixth grades at Alta, Iowa from 1954 to 1956 when she married Jack Hovelson on July 29, 1956 in Laurens. The couple met at ISTC in 1953. Ruth taught one year at Orange Township elementary school before the coupled moved to Webster City, Iowa where her husband taught for two years.
The couple’s first daughter, Holly, was born in Webster City. The Hovelsons moved in 1959 to Fort Dodge, Iowa where Jack was a newspaper reporter. Their second child, daughter Lisa, was born there and the family moved shortly after to Waterloo where Jack worked as a reporter for the Waterloo Courier.
In 1972, the family moved to Cedar Falls. Ruth was an Avon representative for seven years and then late became active as a member and volunteer in several organizations, including the Sartori Hospital Auxiliary, 19th Center Club, PEO Chapter OV, First United Methodist Church, Church Women United, and Cedar Falls Womans Club where she served as its president for two years. In 1995 she was a recipient of the Mayors’ Volunteer Award for her service to the Cedar Falls community.
Survivors include her husband, Jack Hovelson, who resides at Windhaven Assisted Living (Western Home) in Cedar Falls, her daughters Holly (Don) Smith, of Powhatan, Virginia, Lisa Richards, of Surprise, Arizona, granddaughters Meghan Resler of Baltimore, Maryland, Kalene (Barrett) Resler of Washington, D.C., and Lexi Richards of Surprise Arizona, a brother Robert (Donna) Vial of Des Moines, a sister-in-law Lynne (Jim) Willey of The Woodlands, Texas, and several nieces and nephews. Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, brother Howard, and two nieces. Funeral services will be 11am Thursday at the First United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls.
Visitation will be from 4-7pm Wednesday, at Richardson Funeral Service, and also one hour prior to the service at church. Interment will be in Fairview Cemetery, Cedar Falls. Memorials may be directed to the First United Methodist Church or the Cedar Falls Woman’s Club.
Richardson Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Ruth V. Hovelson please visit our Sympathy Store.
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