Richard E. HOVERTER

HOVERTER, DAYTON, MORRIS, BISEL

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 10/10/2007 at 13:03:56

December 7, 2001
The Daily Olympian, WA

Richard E. (Dick) Hoverter, 81, of Olympia, Washington, passed away November 18 at the Highline Regional Hospital in Tukwila, surrounded by members of his family. Mr. Hoverter had struggled to recover from both a lengthy illness and life-threatening surgery, but his frail body couldn't match his spirit. Dick was born September 26, 1920 in Goldfield, Iowa to Chester and Mildred Hoverter. His father was superintendent of various school districts in Iowa during Dick's childhood. In 1942, Dick graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Industrial Engineering and went to work for the General Electric Company. One of his assignments with GE brought him to Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where he met and married Louise Dayton in 1950. During the course of his long career Dick worked for many plastic pipe manufacturing companies in California, Oregon and Washington State. When he was 58, he took a chance and started his own business, Advance Equipment Company, in Sunnyside, Washington. His business became internationally known, moved to Olympia in 1986, and is now run by Dick's family. The great joys in Dick's life were his family and golf. No matter where he lived, come Saturday his buddies would usually find him on the golf course at the crack of dawn, waiting to tee off.

Dick is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, McRoy and Betty Hoverter of Bellevue; his son and daughter-in-law, Dick and Linda Hoverter of Olympia; his daughter and son-in-law, Kim and Bill Morris of Richland, WA; his daughter and son-in-law, Karen and John Bisel of Charlotte, NC; granddaughter Camille Bisel; grandsons Ben Hoverter, Casey and Corey Morris, and Tucker Bisel; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Louise Dayton Hoverter, and son, Tom Hoverter. A memorial service for Dick Hoverter will be held at Olympic Funeral Home, Tumwater, Wash., Friday, November 23, at 11a.m. The day Dick passed away, a bald eagle was spotted gliding on a thermal right by his hospital window; may his spirit soar so.