Carroll Hove

Funeral services for Carroll Thompson Hove, age 96 of Mankato, formerly of Blue Earth, will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, September 20, 2013 at Word of Life Free Lutheran Church, 20013 Stoltzman Road, in Mankato, with Rev. Tim Hinrichs officiating. Burial will follow at West Lutheran Cemetery in Rake, Iowa. Visitation will be from 9:00 AM until service time at the church on Friday, with a sharing time from 9:30 to 10:30 AM. Patton Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Blue Earth is assisting the family with the services. Web condolences may be left at www.pattonfh.com.Carroll Thompson Hove was born on December 13, 1916 on his Grandpa Herman Hove''s farm east of Randall, Iowa, the first son of Andrew and Minnie Kanute (Thompson) Hove. Carroll attended country grade school outside of Rake, Iowa through the 9th grade. During his growing up years, he was often called home to his father''s farm to help with the crops or the livestock. But he had a strong penchant for learning and later on in life attended three winter terms at Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis, MN. Carroll had two brothers, both younger, Andrew Jr. and Luther and two sisters, Martha, who was older and Lorene who was younger. During his years as an infant, Carroll''s family moved to the western states, settling first in Montana where his father worked a farm and then further out to the coast city of Portland where Andrew Hove was employed in the shipyards. But by Carroll''s 5th birthday the family was back in Iowa. Increasingly from the age of eight on, Carroll was in charge of his father''s farm near Rake, Iowa, learning to milk the cows, take care of the livestock and planting and harvesting the small grains and other crops in the fields. He was a master with their teams of horses and neighbors marveled at how straight his crop rows were and how orderly the farm place was kept. When Carroll was 18 he travelled to Minneapolis to attend winter sessions at Lutheran Bible Institute. During the spring, summer and fall seasons he was back on the farm in Iowa helping his father and brothers and sisters. While attending LBI Carroll met his future wife, Helen Marie Ottow. Dad fondly remembers that upon seeing and meeting Helen for the first time he thought to himself, "That''s my girl." From that period of time in February 1935 they remained close friends, writing to each other during their months apart until 1937 when they realized that God meant for them to be together for life. Soon after this, Carroll travelled with Helen to meet her parents, asking them for her hand in marriage. Carroll and Helen Marie were married September 15, 1938 at a country church near Reeder, ND and moved to the southern Minnesota/northern Iowa area where they farmed for many years until 1966. Carroll enjoyed farming, often remarking on the beauty of God''s creation, the trees and the fields and all of nature, commenting that his favorite color was green but also enjoying the vivid colors of fall foliage and the flowers that his wife, Helen, planted in their farm gardens, especially the bright yellow of the Marigolds. He was a very social person and the farm place often hosted visiting pastors to the congregation and other events such as the Luther League bonfires and sing-alongs. He was also actively involved in Liberty Lutheran Church, Rake, Iowa where he held roles as Sunday School teacher, Elder, Trustee and as a Layman, preaching God''s word when Pastor Norman Tungseth was away. Carroll was also a member of a Men''s Quartet which practiced and performed at churches in the area. The quartet, directed by Ruth Nodland, also included fellow singers Iver Oakland, Peter Alne and Thel Nodland and was accompanied by Carroll''s wife, Helen Marie Hove.In 1966 Carroll moved his family to Rosemount, Minnesota, a suburb south of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Here they built a new home and Carroll took a position at Hitchcock Industries in Bloomington, Minnesota where he worked his way up through the ranks to foreman. He was patient, yet firm with his employees and retired from work there in 1980. Here, Carroll was able to put to test one of his greatest accomplishments of life, learning how to adapt to any situation that came his way. Carroll and his family were also active members of Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Minneapolis and following that, were Charter Members of Community of Joy Church in suburban Eagan closer to their home in Rosemount. Here he served he served as Sunday School teacher, Elder and as Senior Advisor to the congregation. He also served as Sunday School teacher and Elder at Ebenezer Lutheran Church.In 2004 when Helen Marie became confined to living in a nursing home environment, they sold their home in Rosemount and moved to St. Luke''s Nursing Home in Blue Earth, Minnesota, with him living in assisted living and her under 24 hour care. He said recently that she had been the greatest impact on his life, the sixty-six years of wedded bliss, meeting her, getting to know her, loving her. "She was a quiet talented woman," he said emotionally. After a recent fall in 2010, Carroll moved to assisted living at Pathstone Living, Mankato, Minnesota. Carroll loved to read books and his collection of hundreds of volumes of literature is now spread throughout the family that he and his wife nurtured and taught. He had a voracious appetite for history and biographies yet his favorite book was the Bible, well-worn, marked and treasured. One of his favorite verses was Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning, God created Heaven and Earth" for as Carroll said "it all began with God. God is in every single thing." In spite of his enthusiasm for meeting and getting to know those around him, he still had a favorite place in the Word or in communing alone with God whether this took place out in the fields or in his favorite chair in a corner of the house. He also love animals, especially horses and had a favorite white bronco named Frank who would not work for Carroll''s father. Frank was a "balker" but Carroll was able to get Frank to work for him to "do whatever I needed him to do." Carroll loved so many things in life but most assuredly he loved his family and his Savior most of all. His Savior has now called him home to eat and sup with Him at His table. Carroll was a loving husband and dedicated father to his family and was an endless giver of his time and talents to all those around him. He is preceded in death by his loving wife, Helen Marie (Ottow) Hove; daughter Anola Hove; parents Andrew and Minnie Hove; sister Martha (Hove) Noss; brothers Andrew Jr. Hove, and Luther Hove; brothers-in-law Oscar Noss and Irvin Bliss; and sister-in-laws Esther (Ottow) Bliss and Ruby Erich Hove and son-in-law Francis Monseth. He is survived by his loving family, daughter Carolynn (Hove) White and husband, Earl of Mankato; daughter Ellen Mae (Hove) Monseth of Rogers; son Eugene Hove and wife Edie (Flaten) Hove of Maple Grove; and son Jon Hove of Port Wing, WI. He is also survived by eleven grandsons and granddaughters and spouses, thirty-six great-grandsons and great-granddaughters and spouses, and two great-great-grandsons. Additionally he is survived by sister Lorene (Hove) Dray of Blue Earth, brother-in-law Daird Dray and sister-in-law Mae (Peterson) Hove of Blue Earth, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.