Friends were recently asked on Facebook to describe Verna in one word. Each one is a true description of her: Blessed, Gorgeous, Giving, Faithful, Precious, Gracious, Beautiful, Loving, Enthusiastic, Angelic, God-fearing, True, Sweet, Vibrant, Lovely, Sincere, Fun-lover, Story-teller, Bling-lover, People-lover, Godly, There, Kind, Shining, Smiling, Classy, Vivacious, Motherly, Thoughtful, Caring, Huggy, Friendly, Welcoming, Happy, Joyful, Generous, Real, Gentle, Firm, Kind, Laughing, and Truth – which is what ‘Verna’ means. Verna was all these words to all of us. When she drew her last breath on August 18, 2018 a bright light on earth was dimmed, and a shining star in Heaven was illuminated.
Verna Marie Hovland was born June 17, 1922 in Eagle Grove, Iowa to Peter B. Hovland and Sophia Velve Hovland and was the fifth of six children. Sadly at the age 20 months old, Verna’s mother Sophia died after contracting a virus 12 days after giving birth to Verna’s baby brother Kenneth Arthur. Even though many friends and relatives urged the grieving father to let others adopt the younger children, he refused and kept Bernice, Reuben, Pearl, Harold, Verna and Ken together. They were a close-knit family, especially Verna and Ken who depended on each other because they grew up without knowing a Mother’s love. The children were cared for by two different house keepers, until when Verna was 6 years old, the Hovland house burned down. Verna and Kenny went to live with their Grandma Hovland until the house could be rebuilt. It was a sad time in the family, especially when their housekeeper Olive, died shortly after the house was finished. After Olive passed away, Verna’s oldest sister Bernice, took over cooking, cleaning, and caring for her younger siblings which was very hard for her, because she was still in school.
Although these sad things happened in her young life, Verna enjoyed her school days very much. She loved acting in school plays, singing in choirs – both at school and in church. In 8th grade she began taking lessons on how to play the baritone horn. She was in concert band where they played in the Eagle Grove Gazebo in the Park during the summertime. In 9th grade, Verna was in the Marching Band and in a Brass Sextet, which won First Place in the State Music Contest. They then went to the National Music Contest in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where they won “Super-Superior” which was best overall. It was truly the highlight of Verna’s Eagle Grove High School days.
Verna’s Dad, Peter Hovland, along with being a Rural Mail Carrier, Milk Man and Farmer was also the Choir Director at Eagle Grove Evangelical Lutheran Church. After Verna’s confirmation, she began singing in the Adult Choir. She loved that because her Dad was the choir director (a position he held for 50 years and congregation members remember him to this day.) Verna’s love for singing continued throughout her life, singing the Alto part in choirs at all the churches she attended.
After graduation from Eagle Grove High School, Verna was accepted into Nursing School at Lutheran Deaconess Hospital in Chicago Illinois in September 1940. During her studies there, a friend set her up on a blind date with a handsome young man named Bill Wishart. Bill and Verna fell in love while in Chicago, but with the War raging, work was hard to find. When Bill’s job at National Biscuit Company offered him a job in Los Angeles California, he could not turn it down. He moved to Los Angeles with his parents and Verna followed soon after. They were married on January 24, 1942. The Newlyweds moved quite a few times but finally settled in a rented home on Dalton Street in Los Angeles for $45.00 a month. It was in this home they welcomed their first born, Carol Ann. Bill was inducted in to the ‘walking army’ in 1945. He never did have to go over seas but was first sent to Camp Roberts, California and then to Fort Benning, Georgia to enter Officers Candidate School. During the time of Bill’s absence in the service, Verna worked first at a coffee shop as a waitress, eventually making 95 cents an hour at Ollie Hammond’s Steak House which was a 5 Star Restaurant on Wilshire Blvd. She was able to pay all their bills and even built up a small savings account when Bill returned from the Army. In 1949 with the help of Bill’s parents, the young family bought their first home in the San Fernando Valley. Shortly after moving to Van Nuys Verna joined First Lutheran Church and enrolled Carol in the Christian Day School there. Verna spent many hours learning how to sew the green and white paraments that hung in the Chapel at First Lutheran.
In 1953, a Doctor’s visit confirmed that the illness Verna was experiencing was actually a pregnancy! The Family of Three were thrilled because Bill and Verna had been told due to an infection after Carol was born, they would not be able to have any more children. On February 16, 1954 Cathleen Louise was born into the family. Carol was so happy to finally have a baby sister to love! On the day Cathy was Baptized, Bill made the decision to join the Lutheran Church and was also Baptized into the Christian faith. It was a happy time for Verna and her family. Two years and a move to Gardena later, another child, Constance Sue was born on October 19, 1956 and the Wishart family was complete. Verna and Bill became members of Concordia Lutheran Church in Inglewood where Connie was Baptized, Cathy was confirmed and Carol was married. Verna was active in LWML (Lutheran Women’s Missionary League) both in Local and as Zone 5 President, attending International Conventions in Washington DC, Las Vegas and San Diego . She of course sang in the choir and taught Sunday School for many years until in 1970, the Orange County California housing market enticed them away from Gardena, moving to a lovely suburb called La Palma. They moved in on March 5, 1970 and soon after joined Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Cypress. Verna once again became very active in the LWML and sang in the Choir there until 2009 when a fall and broken leg made it impossible to climb the stairs for choir practice. After that, Verna could still be heard singing from the pews down stairs.
Verna’s hobbies during her lifetime (other than singing in the choir!) were bowling in a league winning many trophies and even a beautiful clock! She also enjoyed painting with oil paint, collecting pink depression glass, small blue medicine bottles, Capodimonte ceramic pieces, and wandering around antique stores and swap meets. Verna loved traveling with the family in travel trailers (first a Terry Trailer, then an Avion in the early years) all over the country, visiting family in Iowa, touring all the National Parks, caves and other exciting adventures they found along the way. In the 1960’s and ‘70’s they enjoyed many trips to the Colorado River where she learned how to water ski and was given the nick-name of ‘Verna-Babe’ by John Livingstone when he pulled her in to the boat after falling near Parker Dam. As he was pulling her out he said “I’ve got you Verna-Babe!” and the name was with her all the rest of her days.
After Bill retired in 1981, they sold the boat and started on their next adventure in their life together when they bought a beautiful Airstream trailer. Soon after purchasing the trailer, they joined the Wally Byam Caravan Club International (WBCCI) and they both became active on committees and holding office positions. Bill and Verna traveled all over the continental United States and Canada and made life-long friendships along the way. Verna loved to journal and documented each trip in her beautiful handwriting, writing down where they stayed, who they saw and what they did each day. What a treasure the family has!
After her beloved Bill passed away on February 28, 1999, Verna learned how to adapt in life as a widow. She continued to be very active at church in Choir, Tuesday morning Ladies Bible Study and MAC (Mission Activity Circle), LWML and as historian for the group, diligently organized years and years of LWML photos and articles into beautiful keepsake albums. Verna was also very active in the Valley View Republican Women’s Federated where she held the office of Chaplain for the group, attended meetings, Fund Raiser events and worked the polling booths during elections. She also joined the Sons of Norway, enjoyed the fellowship of other Norske’s and of course the wonderful dinners that were served at the meetings. At the urging of her doctor to exercise, she joined a water therapy class and of course because she was Verna, made fast and dear friends. They all even went on a cruise together!
What brought the most joy to Verna was family gatherings where she could be in the center of those she loved most and revel in the conversation, laughter and love of children, grandchildren, great and even great-great grandchildren no matter where she was or whose house the celebration was held. She traveled often with her girls and especially enjoyed a trip with Carol to Ely Nevada to visit her granddaughter Shannon and family; with Cathy and Chris to visit with them in their Crestline mountain home where Verna was so excited to see a late season snow fall, and with Connie and Tom to witness granddaughter Susie marry Daren Lin at Sandy and Ron’s cabin in Lake Arrowhead, CA. Verna never tired of traveling.
On August 28, 2015, life suddenly changed for Verna when she fell and broke her left wrist. Because she could no longer use her walker and care for herself, the hard decision was on the shoulders of Carol, Cathy and Connie to find a suitable place for their mother to live. One night Connie was looking on the internet for senior living communities and thought she clicked on the one facility only to be called the next day by the salesperson from Brookdale Valley View in Garden Grove. It wasn’t the place Connie thought she was clicking on, but turned out to be just the right place and Verna moved in late October 2015. The family set up her room just like her living room in La Palma and right away it felt like home. Verna loved it there, and…being Verna…won the hearts of the residents and staff alike. Her favorite activities there were Horse racing game, Bingo, Jingo, wheel-chair exercise class and every event Activity Director Elena planned! Verna’s daughters also planned a wonderful 95th birthday party for her that was held in the Brookdale library on June 17, 2017 where many family and friends from near and far came to celebrate the birthday of a wonderful woman named Verna.
In September 2017, Verna decided that one more church membership change was in her future and she joined Bethel Lutheran Church in Buena Park and was able to attend the New Member church service and brunch afterwards. Pastor Sipes brought Verna communion, spent time visiting with her each week and she treasured and looked forward to his visits.
Verna became ill with an UTI on October 3, 2017 and after a series of falls over the next few weeks, became completely bed-ridden. She was placed on Hospice, not because she had a terminal disease but because Hospice could provide extra care for her and as they told the family, since she could no longer visit the outside world, the outside world would come visit her. Hospice provided visiting nurses, Music therapists who would sing and play guitar, volunteers and Social Workers came to visit; and family members and friends brought joy to Verna’s bedside, reading, singing and praying with her, until on August 18, 2018, Verna passed from this world into the next, peacefully, with Connie playing music at her bedside as she slipped away.
So what do we do now without this wonderful woman in our lives? Well we are blessed, because in Verna’s own writing in the back of her “Grandma Was Quite a Girl” book she tells us her best advice: 1. Keep God in your life and love Jesus! 2. Show love to all people, especially your family. 3. Get a good education. 4. Stay away from all drugs and alcohol! 5. Try to keep the 10 Commandments. 6. Honor your father and your mother. 7. Be active in politics so you will know what’s going on. She also said she would like to be remembered as a Godly person who loved her Lord, her beautiful family and all of her friends - YOU!
Now go eat some Cookies and Cream ice cream, enjoy the fragrance of a rose and lilacs, paint your nails bright pink and smile because you were loved by this wonderful woman: VERNA whose name means Truth! (Thank you Janelle!)
Verna Hovland Wishart is survived by her children: Carol (Wishart) Noblet, Cathy (Wishart) and husband Christopher Love and Connie (Wishart) and husband Tom Giddens.
Verna’s Grandchildren: Coleen Keaton, William Keaton, Shannon (Keaton) and husband Christopher Casarez, Christina (Love) and husband Brent Deaton, Kelley (Love) and husband Jonathan McFarland, Daniel Love, Michael and wife Jennifer Giddens, Susanna (Giddens) and husband Daren Lin and Noelle Giddens.
Verna’s Great-Grandchildren: Sean Keaton, Caitlyn Keaton, Chelsea Keaton (and Fiancé Zane Jury), Laurie Keaton, Christian Keaton, Cory Beck, Brittany Benoun (and Fiancé Cameron Akins), Christopher Casarez, Andrew Casarez, Phidelia McFarland, Hannah Giddens, Owen Lin and Westley Lin.
Great-Great Grandchildren: Christian Beck, Caelan Beck, Jaxon Akins, Adilee Verna-Grace Akins and Conor Jury.
“Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelations Chapter 2 verse 10b.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18