Walter Amos STOVER, Sr.

STOVER, LEWIS, CLAUDE, HARPER, SIMONS, NICHOLS, THOMSEN, HUBBARD, MARTIN, WALLIN

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 12/31/2009 at 20:58:48

February 22, 1920 – September 6, 2009

Walter Amos (Smoky) Stover, Sr., 89, passed away September 6, 2009 at Franklin General Hospital in Hampton, IA. Born February 22, 1920 to Henry and Lena (Lewis) Stover, Walter attended country schools in Franklin County, graduating from Sheffield High School in 1937. Following graduation, Walter completed telephone serviceman training in Belmond, IA, where he met Wilna Claude. They were married on September 14, 1941 in Webster City, IA. In February, 1942, Walter and Wilna moved to Vallejo, California, where he served as a Civil Service First Class Electrician in Naval Communications on Mare Island. Their son, Walter, Jr. was born in Vallejo in August of 1943. Walter, Sr. was drafted into the Army in September, 1945 and served in the Signal Corp until March of 1947. During the last ten months of his service, he was assigned to Keio University (Japan), as course director in central office dial telephone, dedicated to restoration of the Japanese telephone exchanges. Returning to Iowa, he engaged in various aspects of the electrical trade until his retirement. He took pride in the wiring of several significant landmarks, including projects at the Mayo Clinic, the Des Moines Financial Center, the Radar Training Station in Waverly and several area baseball stadiums. As a young man, he also sold farm fertilizer and engaged in farming for a short
time. Walter married Valera Harper on February 14, 1995.

Walter is survived by his son, Walter A. Stover, Jr. and his wife, Elayne Simons Stover (St. Francis, WI); grandchildren Suzanne (Stover) and Dana Nichols, Alec and Natasha (Cedar Rapids), Nancy (Stover) and Mike Thomsen, Kira, Afton and Logan (Broomfield, CO), and Mike and Lynn Stover, Drew, Allie and Casey (Wichita, KS); stepsons Charles (Pam), Daryl (Sheila), Steve (Lyn) and Ralph (Jenny) Harper, their children and grandchildren; Dr. Jodie, Denise and Shawn Harper and their families; nieces Paula (Russ) Hubbard, Connie (Richard) Martin and nephew William (Peggy) Wallin. Preceding Walter in death were his wife, Valera, on January 16, 1997; his parents; his sister and brother-in-law Doris and Paul Wallin; his brother and sister-in-law Arthur and Louella Stover; stepson Wayne Harper and his wife Donna.

Funeral service will be held at Hansell Methodist Church at 1:30 P.M. on Tuesday September 8, 2009. Visitation and conversation will take place at the church one hour before the service. Burial will be at the Harlan Cemetery in rural Dumont, Iowa. Family contact information: Walter and Elayne Stover, Post Office Box 070493, Milwaukee, WI 53207-0493.