John Charles Hover Jr.

John Charles Hover, Jr., 81, passed away on Saturday, February 20, 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona. John was born on January 18, 1935 in Wichita, Kansas to John and Mabel Hover. He had one brother, Robert. The family moved to Colorado where John began his education in Parachute Creek, riding his horse to a one-room schoolhouse, and eventually earning his law degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1959. He was recruited by the Phoenix law firm of Lewis & Rocca and sat for the Arizona State Bar in 1960 where he finished first in his class. He moved his young family to Phoenix where he began his career that spanned more than 40 years. A member of The Order of the Coif, he was admitted and qualified as an attorney and counselor of the Supreme Court of the United States on November 19, 1973. After retirement, he enjoyed sharing his passion as an adjunct faculty member at Paradise Valley Community College. An esteemed attorney and man of high integrity, John was deeply respected by his colleagues for his fair and honest treatment of those he served. He was always sincere and kind to everyone he met and was a gentleman’s gentleman in spite of the disease he fought to the end. John was a man of faith, spending time in Mexico on humanitarian efforts and was an active member of the community on both state and local levels. He enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. His children inherited his love of the outdoors early in life. John also enjoyed travel, and was an avid golfer. He was an expert litigator on the greens. John is survived by his younger brother, Robert Hover of Houghton, Mich; his children, John “JC” Hover III(fiancé, Pat), Kirk E. Hover (Michelle), and Holley Mackey (Bill); grandchildren, Kelly Hover, JJ Hover, Kacey Hover Kline (Lee), Matt Mackey, Tyler Mackey, Jesse Hover, Samantha Hover; and great grandson, Connor Jett Kline. A celebration of life will be held at 10:00am on Tuesday, March 1, 2016, at Greenwood Memory Lawn Serenity Chapel, 2300 West Van Buren Phoenix, Arizona. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, John be remembered by a gift to Hospice of the Valley or the Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest chapter.