Althea Creola Hoover

THOMASVILLE ALTHEA CREOLA HOSKINS HOOVER WAS born on a farm in Davidson County on November 12, 1923 to the late Reverend Bettie C. Hoskins and Reverend Eugene Haywood Hoskins. She was the ninth of twelve children. With such tremendous religious influence, she became a devout Christian early in life.Her formal education started in Randolph County and was completed at Church Street School in Thomasville. After high school, she continued her education at Nyack Bible College in New York. She also attended Mary B. Mullen Bible Camp in Lake Lure, where she was a counselor and taught music.As a teenager and young adult, she earned money by doing domestic work to help support her family. Empowered by the Great Migration Movement, Althea moved to the Washington, D.C. area, where she worked and sent money home to her parents. Always putting family first, she later moved back to North Carolina to take care of her mother after her father passed away.In 1956, she met Lewis W. Hoover. They fell in love and were married November 20th of that year. With Lewis, came his three boys: Lloyd, George and Robert, who grew to love Althea and call her "mom". A year after Althea and Lewis were married, they welcomed a fourth son, Lewis. The Hoovers also served as foster parents and welcomed many children into their Thomasville home.Althea was a great lover of children.She worked for the Thomasville city school system as a substitute teacher for many years. She also served as a crossing guard for the city of Thomasville.Althea had a profound love of music. She was a talented organist, pianist and directed numerous choirs. She had a boisterous singing voice and was active in musical programs in many local churches throughout her life.After retirement, Althea and Lewis moved to Maryland to live with their youngest son and helped with their grandchildren, Valerie and Camil. Lewis W. Hoover passed away in 1994 and Althea continued to live with their son and his family. She loved to fish at their family lake house, was a church member at Good Hope Union United Methodist Church, and continued to use music, her amazing wit, and ability to tell a great story to touch the lives of others.Althea's memory is survived by her younger sister, Nancy H. Wall, as well as her four sons; Lloyd Hoover (Gwendelyn), George Hoover (Brenda), Robert Hoover and Lewis Hoover (Deborah). She also leaves grandchildren Ashley Hoover (Josie), Wesley Hoover, Michael Hoover (Jeanine), Ingrid Hicks (Bert), Brian Hoover (Tristal), Valerie Logan (David) and Camil Hoover and seven great-grandchildren.She will be forever missed and loved by a host of family and friends.