Eugene Keith Hoover

Gene's life was emblematic of and paralleled the "California dream" zeitgeist of the late 60's where everything was possible. He was truly a self-made man.

Gene was born on May 6, 1940, and was raised on a small farm north of Conrad, Montana. After graduating from Montana State University in 1963 with a degree in architecture, Gene made his way to Sacramento, California after a short stint in Las Vegas, Nevada. Gene was a talented architect with a deep appreciation for modernism and the designs of Richard Meier. Less than ten years into his tenure at a local architecture firm, he was asked to become a partner. In his typical contrarian style, rather than accept the offer (he would have been their youngest partner), he decided to retire just as he turned 37 in 1977. He looked forward to spending more time with his beloved wife Charlene (Char) who also retired shortly thereafter.

It was love at first sight when Gene met Char at the Fremont Presbyterian Church singles group in 1967. They eloped three years later to Tahoe the day after Christmas in 1970. Their relationship was unique in that due to their early retirements they were able to spend virtually every hour of every day of their 46 year marriage together as one. Ask anyone and they will agree- it was a partnership truly blessed, built upon a foundation of unconditional love, mutual respect, and shared values.

Having great intellectual bandwidth, Gene's brain needed continual stimulation. Retirement allowed him more time focus on his "hobbies" (a term used loosely given the amount of time he dedicated) which included real estate development and investing (day-trading before the term became part of the common vernacular). He was also a self-taught computer programmer who in the early 80's designed and developed a software program that automated a uniquely accurate stock market prediction algorithm that he had begun developing in the early 70's. This enabled him to achieve even greater success post-retirement. Throughout his life, with each generation of increased computer processing power, he constantly tinkered with and improved upon his software. (However, his first Apple LLE computer is still collecting dust in his garage-being a product of the Great Depression, he was also a bit og a pack rat who loathed disposing of anything.)

He will be remembered by family and friends for his loyalty, his generosity, his intellect and his integrity. He was a son, a brother, an uncle, a husband, a friend, and a neighbor. He was an inspiration, a mentor, and a man of integrity.

Gene and Char have left a portion of their estate to Montana State University's School of Architecture, as well as to Conrad High School in Conrad, MT (Gene) and Everett High School in EVerett, WA (Char) with the aim of providing a path for those less fortunate than they to achieve higher education and professional success.

Never having children, Gene was devoted to his eight nieces and nephews. He is survived by his sister Shirley Sanders of Conrad, MT; his sister-in-law Joan Krogh of Sequim, WA; eight nieces and nephews: Randy Hoover of Snohomish, WA; Tammy Minderman of Omaha, NE; Lance Hoover (Kari) of Shelby, MT; Eric Sanders of Conrad, MT; Ron Krogh (Susan) of Lakewood, WA; Charlie Krogh (Ava) of Orting, WA; Tony Krogh (Rhonda) of Dayton, OH; and Kim Gilland (Kevin) of Aurora, CO; as well as a numerous grand-nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife Charlene, his parents Ray and Gladys Hoover, his sister SHaron Minderman, his brother Marvin Hoover, and his nephew Brent Reichelt.

Gene's family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Wesly (wes) Witt, Leonard Veare, Brett Robinson, and Kevin Adamson whose friendship enabled Gene to maintain his dignity and independence during his final years. Their dedication to Gene's wellbeing went above and beyond.

Gene's cremains will be laid to rest, alongside his sweetie Char, at Mount Vernon Memorial Park & Mortuary in Fair Oaks, CA.