Eleanor Hoover

Hoover, Eleanor 85, of Mpls., unexpectedly, on 10.11. Survived by daughter, Kris and granddaughter, Elsa Hoover of Mpls, Johnson cousins of MN, CA, & TX, Carolyn Johnston of Mpls, Veittikoski and Ojala cousins in Finland, friends and colleagues. Eleanor was born in a log house near Finlayson, MN in 1926, only child of Jenni Maria (Mayme) Johnson and Gust Emil Ranta. Her father died in a farm accident, and seeking broader opportunity, her mother brought her to Mpls and raised her in a boarding house. Eleanor credited her mother's love and sisu, her teachers, the public library, free entrance to the Mpls Inst. of Art, and FDR's pioneering welfare program with giving her a firm foundation in life. Eleanor graduated from the U of M in 1948 and signed on with the US Army to teach photography in occupied Germany, where she also studied at the Leica School. Back in MN in the '50s, she began her 40-year career in personnel at the U of M and met her husband, Dr. Louis Hoover, a professor of education. They moved to LA where their daughter was born, then to Chicago in the '60s, where they were active in the Civil Rights Movement and the Unitarian Church, and Eleanor was personnel director at an innovative community-based mental health center. Returning to Mpls in the '70s, Eleanor was Director of Human Resources for Scott County, her beloved Mpls Public Schools, & the MN Dept. of Human Services. Throughout her career, she strove to make workplaces fairer, and she wrote one of the nation's first HIV/AIDS non-discrimination policies. In later years, she cared for her mother and husband through long illnesses, then traveled extensively abroad, studied Finnish, supported feminist, human rights & environmental causes, and spent many happy hours with her granddaughter. Eleanor was interested in almost everything and loved learning and sharing new skills. She spoke fluent Spanish and GI-German. She was a master gardener and wallpaperer, and a pretty good auto mechanic. She could make a perfect fluffy omelet, sew a business suit or evening dress in a weekend, explain the natural history of any passing roadside, and craft charming origami dinosaurs. She was thoughtful, warm, generous, and encouraging, and despite the hardships she faced, she could always see the funny side of life. Her family thanks the staff at Redeemer Residence whose professional care and genuine affection helped her make the best of these last years with Alzheimers. Memorial open-house at her daughter's: 510 Prospect, Mpls, Nov. 26, 3-8. Memorials preferred to: Eleanor Ranta Hoover Scholarship, South High Foundation, 3131 19th Ave. S, Mpls, 55407. Miss you, Mom.