Roy Simon VanHoove

". . . for the LORD delighteth in thee ..." Isaiah 62:4 Roy Simon VanHoove, 87, passed away January 4, 2008, in San Antonio. Roy never met a book that he did not cherish. He loved meeting and visiting with people and lived to share and teach. Roy was born to Bura Weaver and Roy S. VanHoove on March 4, 1920 in Electra, Texas. When Roy was 11 years old, his father died of a heat stroke and he became the family breadwinner. His job was walking a newspaper route twice a day. At the age of 13, he was sent to a tuberculosis hospital near San Angelo, Texas. Roy loved to tell a good story and enjoyed lots of corny humor. Growing up during the Depression meant that for the rest of his life, money was only useful for how it could help others. Roy earned a BA in Speech from North Texas State Teachers College in Denton. After earning an MA in speech pathology from the University of Texas, he did doctoral work at the University of Iowa. Through the years, he taught college courses at Baylor, Texas Tech, and Sul Ross. His wife of 53 years, Donna Dawson VanHoove, preceded him in death in 2003. Their daughters, Dr. Susanna Duckworth, lives in Oxford, NC; Elizabeth Basden, in San Antonio; and son, Roy S. VanHoove III, in Comanche TX. Roy's life work was in Special Education. He served as Director of Special Education in the Lubbock Public Schools, Director of In-Service Training for Travis State School, and taught public school in Waco, Austin, Lamesa, and Monahans. He served God with his many talents in church. Gospel hymns were always a comfort to him and he knew all 4 verses better than anyone. In retirement, he played his college band trumpet in the Sunday service. Roy enjoyed watching sports and officiated high school sports. He was a life-long Mason and proud of it. Roy inherited his mother's creativity and spent many hours making beautiful needlepoint and latch hook pieces. However, the greatest thrill of his life was helping high school dropouts get their GED. All his life, Roy made a difference to people around him. He was unfailingly kind, gentle, and generous. The graveside service will take place at 1 p.m. on Monday, January 7, 2008, at Austin Memorial Park in Austin. The family requests memorials be made to University of North Texas, Green Brigade Marching Band, P.O. Box 311220, Denton, Texas 76203-¬1220.