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Frances Maud Hover
FrancesHoverObit

Frances Maud Hover, 94, died Monday, Jan. 27 after a short stay at Kindred Healthcare, Valley Gardens, in Stockton.

She had spent her past three years at Dale Commons Assisting Living, Modesto.

She was born in Oakdale, the daughter of Edward Lee Hover and Chloe Wilson Hover. She was extremely proud of her Oakdale heritage and talked frequently about her childhood in a farm house on River Road.

Her mother died when she was only 10 years old. She learned early on of the importance of taking on responsibility and helping the family. Eventually her father remarried and she gained two stepbrothers.

She attended Oakdale Elementary School and later graduated from Oakdale High School in 1937. She soon took a job as live-in housekeeper for Helen Grey, Dean of Girls at the high school. Over the years she had multiple jobs, starting as a “soda jerk” at the Oakdale Creamery and Kerstin’s Pharmacy. Early in the ’40s she moved to the “big” city, Modesto. There she worked for Tar Scott Drug Store, Modesto Drug Company and Model Pharmacy. Because of her experience in handling the livestock products in these pharmacies, Dr. Woody Woodward and Dr. Don Rosenberg hired her to be the office manager at their mixed veterinary practice which soon became Maze Animal Hospital and still in business today.

Ms. Hover was honored as “Woman of the Year” in the local chapter of American Business Women’s Association and was instrumental in getting both of her bosses the “Boss of the Year Award” as well. Later in her career she moved to Veterinary Service, Inc. which is an animal health distributing company that was founded by Woodward, Rosenberg, and Frank Sweetman. She completed her working career there and retired over 30 years ago.

In her youth she played softball in Oakdale and was on the American Legion team. Later she took up golf and spent many years with her dear friends enjoying some of the local courses. She boasted often about having gotten three “hole in ones” in her lifetime. She loved her daily special glass of wine and her experience on the Wine Train in Napa. Her travels took her to Niagara Falls, NY and Maui, Hawaii. Since she never married, she was an independent woman who made all her own decisions and was challenged by the confinement of assisted living in her later years. She asked frequently “where is my car, it’s time to go to Oakdale to the H-B.” Fran lived a long life and made many friends and will be greatly missed.

She was preceded in death by her parents; and her brother, Walter.

Her memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6 at Oakdale Memorial Chapel followed by a reception at the H-B in Oakdale. Her final burial will be at the family plot at the Oakdale Citizens Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Guide Dogs for the Blind or the Salvation Army.

The Oakdale (Calif.) Leader

Feb. 5, 2014