William Russell "Bill" Hoover

SUNBURY - William Russell "Bill" Hoover, 60, of Sunbury, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008, after a long and brave battle with cancer. He died at home surrounded with love from his family and friends.
Bill was born in 1947 in Sunbury, a son of the late John William and Evelyn (Mensch) Hoover. His mother passed away when he was an infant, and his father died shortly thereafter. Bill was raised in the Odd Fellows Orphanage in Sunbury from 1951-1965. As a child growing up, his one wish was to have a mother.
He was a 1965 graduate of Sunbury High School (the last of the Owls) and received his bachelor of arts and master's in education from Bloomsburg University.
Bill joined the Navy in 1966 and was a beach master at Little Creek, Va., until 1968.
In August 1970, he married his best friend and soul mate, the former Judy Ramer. They were married for 37 very happy years and loved being together.
Bill taught fifth grade at Steel and C.W. Rice Elementary schools in Northumberland. Later, he taught both fourth and fifth grade at Edison Elementary and Chief Shikellamy schools in Sunbury. He loved attending fifth-grade camp at Mount Luther with his students and continued to attend camp after his retirement from education in 2004, after 33 1/2 years of service with the Shikellamy School District. He touched the lives of thousands of students throughout his career. Many commented that the reason they became teachers was a result of having him as an educator.
Bill was in charge of the Shikellamy Ivy League Wrestling program for many years. He was both the president and vice president of the Resilite Wrestling Club and was also a member and officer of the club for more than 15 years. Through his leadership, hundreds of children went through the program. He also maintained the scoreboard for more than 20 years for the girls basketball and boys junior high wrestling programs at Shikellamy.
Prior to his illness, Bill was a volunteer and board member with the American Red Cross. He donated more than 17 gallons of blood throughout his lifetime and he was very proud to do so. At one time, he was the youngest person in Northumberland County to reach the 12-gallon level.
He was a member of Otterbein United Methodist Church in Sunbury.
He spent more than 20 years as a summer painter when not teaching school. He was a big fan of the New York Yankees, the Penn State Nittany Lions, and the Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts. He was an avid golfer and looked forward to retirement so he could spend more time on the golf course with his golfing buddies. He was diagnosed with cancer two months prior to his retirement.
Bill loved to go walking with his wife, and they enjoyed making laps through the Marina and skipping rocks in the water with their granddaughter. He also enjoyed going to dinner and the movies with his friends every weekend.
One of Bill's greatest joys in life was being a "Pappy." He adored his two granddaughters and loved spending time with them.
Surviving, in addition to his wife, are one son and daughter in-law, Brett and Sany Hoover, who returned to Pennsylvania from Orlando, Fla., to help care for him; a daughter and son-in-law, Angela and Chris Brouse of Lewisburg; two granddaughters, Ellie and Ryan Brouse of Lewisburg; a sister and brother-in-law, Wendy (Hoover) and William Mackey of Sunbury; a brother and sister-in-law, Leonard and Janet Hoover of New York; and an aunt who helped take care of him for many years when he was a child, Mary Elsie McKinney of Sunbury. He is also survived by his father-in-law, Irvin Ramer of Gowen City; a sister-in-law and brother in-law, Melissa and Jeff Herman of Kremer; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday at Otterbein United Methodist Church, Fourth Street, Sunbury. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Otterbein United Methodist Church, followed by burial at Pomfret Manor in Sunbury. A reception and celebration of his life will follow at the church social hall.
The family will supply flowers and requests, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made in his memory to the American Cancer Society, 1948 E. Third St., Williamsport, PA 17701; the American Red Cross, 30 N. Fifth Street, Sunbury, PA 17801; Evangelical Hospice, 1 Hospital Drive, Lewisburg, PA 17837; or to the Shikellamy College Aid Fund, which will award a student with a scholarship in Bill's honor. Donations for the Scholarship Fund can be mailed to Shikellamy College Aid Fund c/o Susquehanna Bank, 400 Market St., Sunbury, PA 17801.