Individual Details

Death

John Sylvan Hoover

(May 1, 1919 - October 20, 2011)
John Sylvan Hoover, retired accountant and father of three children was born May 1st 1919 in Overbrook Kansas, passed away on October 20, 2011.
The last child born of Dr.Charles Oliver Hoover M.D. & Ida May (Metsker) Hoover. Family moved to Quinter Kansas in the mid 1920s, where John was raised and went through school. While attending college in Mc Pherson, Kansas He was active in athletics, (especially in football) where he was the quarterback for the McPherson Bulldogs.
When World War II erupted John S. Hoover enlisted in the Army and served as a 1st Sergeant in the 3rd Army “Third Herd”(nickname given by the soldiers), Armored (tank) Division, also known as the “Spearhead” under General George Patton. He saw action in many battles in the European Theater, he was with the invasion that landed at Normandy, received a Purple Heart citation for wounds received during the Battle of the Bulge. J.S.Hoover fought in the Battle of Aachen Germany (the first German town captured by the Allies during W.W. II), and a few days before, and during Christmas of 1944 his unit was shifted out of a major battle in the Ardennes and marched miles through the bitter cold, and snow to help relieve the 101st Airborne Division that was surrounded at Bastogne, Belgium. The “Third Herd” received heavy casualties during World War II and John S. Hoover remained quite active in the 3rd Armored Division reunions up and into his 90th year when the Army dissolved this unit.
He was married twice and survived both wives, his first wife he met while training at Indian Town Gap military facility in Pennsylvania. He returned to Pennsylvania after the War, to marry Della Irene Garretson and fathered three children with her. He moved Della back to Hays, Kansas to finish his college degree in accounting and then on to Odessa, Texas where he and his brothers ( Cecil Ross & Rozilla Seefeld Hoover, Ivan Lowell & Marguerite Luth Hoover, and Merle Wallace & Pearl Holt Hoover), started a beverage manufacturing business (JC Bottling Co.) right after the war. They were instrumental in developing a soft drink known as Chocolate Soldier that was distributed nation wide thru the 1950’s.
His two eldest children, Sylvia Mae, ( Walt Dessauer) of Michigan, and John Charles Hoover of Clearwater, Kansas were born in Odessa, Texas and his youngest child, Judith Ann, (Phil Wohlford) of Cheney, Kansas, was born in Wichita. After selling the soft drink business John S. & family, returned to Kansas, where he went to work for his eldest brother’s accounting firm. After a few years John started his own accounting business and provided accounting services to many people & companies for over sixty years.
John S. Hoover has been a Shriner with the Midian Temple here in Wichita since 1956, a member of the Wichita Scottish Rite, and a Gove County Mason since shortly after the War in 1946.
John S. married his second wife in 1973 Fran T. Millender, they were happy and inseparable up until her death in 1996.
John Sylvan Hoover is survived by his two elder sisters, Gulah Velma Hoover Daron age 99 of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Ada Maxine Hoover Doyle age 94 of Sparta, New Jersey. His three children, 12 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, 2 great-great grandchildren as well as many family members and dear friends will miss him very much.
Visitation Monday 5 to 8 p.m., with family present from 5 to 7 p.m., Funeral Service 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, both at Old Mission Mortuary.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Care of Kansas. Send condolences to oldmissionmortuary.com