Gary Hoover

Normal - Gary A. Hoover, 80, of Bloomington, passed away peacefully in his sleep at 11:30 p.m. on January 6, 2017 at Heritage Health in Normal.

His memorial service will be held at a later date. Cremation rites have been accorded. Kibler-Brady-Ruestman Memorial Home in Bloomington is assisting the family with arrangements.

Memorials may be directed to his son, Charles Hoover, P.O. Box 594, Oregon, IL 61061.

Gary was born August 16, 1936, the son of Robert and Sylvia Hoover, in Provo, Utah. The family moved to California where he lived until he graduated from San Jose State University. He married Wanda Lillemoe on June 23, 1962. They lived in Bellevue, Washington until returning to Southern California for one year. With two children, the family of four moved to Normal, IL in 1969 with State Farm. Gary continued to work with State Farm in Actuarial Science developing commercial insurance policies for the remainder of his career before retiring in 2000.

As an active member of the Twin Cities community, Gary was a past board president of the Unitarian-Universalist Church in Bloomington, the first board president of his condominium association, a founding member and past president of the Vladimir-Canterbury (Russia) and Cubamigos (Cuba) sister city organizations, board president of the local Compassion and Choices organization, and McLean County Arts Center board member and humans resources committee chair. Gary was also a board member and mentoring committee chair of Senior Professionals, a member of the steering committee of the ACLU, and for The League of Women Voters he was an observer of the District 87 Board of Education, as well as a member of the McLean County Jail Review Committee. The League honored him a couple years ago with its Florence Fifer Bohrer Award for community service.

Gary was a member of Young Men's Club and SOBs (a book club founded in the late 1980's by the late Irving Tick). Gary was an active supporter of various music, theater, and art organizations in the Bloomington-Normal community.

Gary was always physically active and lived life to the fullest, spending time with family and thoroughly enjoying his time with his large group of friends. In his later years, Gary traveled the world to roughly 80 countries with his best friend and soulmate, Judie Bey, of Bloomington, she survives. He always enjoyed himself and learned something new on every trip he took.

Gary is survived by a son, Charles (Sharon) Hoover, of Oregon, IL; a daughter, Julie (Kelly) Block, of Tolono, IL; grandsons, Bailey and Dillon Hoover, of Oregon, IL and Tristan and Tanner Block, of Tolono, IL; and brothers, John Hoover, of Watsonville, CA, and David Hoover, of Springville, UT.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

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