Stephen A. Hoover

Stephen Alan Hoover, 71, of Bucyrus, died, Thursday, January 14, 2021 following a courageous five-year battle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.



He was born September 6, 1949 in Bucyrus to the late Eugene F. and Ruth E. (Rothhaar) Hoover. Growing up in Nevada, OH, Steve was a 1967 graduate of Wynford High School. He was employed by General Electric Lighting for 40 years, retiring as Product Quality Manager in 2010. Following retirement, he worked for an additional six years at the Bucyrus GE plant, as a consultant for HWH Consulting of Cleveland, OH. Serving as one of Jack Welch’s Six Sigma Black Belts, Steve truly loved working with fellow employees at both the GE Glass plant and the Lamp plant in Bucyrus.



On December 26, 1970, Steve married the love of his life, Debra K. Wells. They were surprised by the nursing staff at The James this year with a celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. His family was everything to Steve and his interests mirrored the activities of his children, Amy and Matthew, their spouses, Tim and Anne, and his beloved six grandchildren. Because of his strong love for them, these activities became his outlet to spend quality time with each of them. They shared many family vacations, with a couple favorites being Charleston, SC and Folly Beach, where he and Amy would walk for hours. He also loved dogs and could be easily entertained watching the antics of Maggie and Fergus, his Cairn Terriers. Steve loved cars, with a particular passion for the muscle cars of the 1960’s. He enjoyed spending time with son, Matthew and the grandsons at car shows and was a walking encyclopedia when it came to automobile history. He enjoyed time spent socializing and talking with other car enthusiasts as well.



Steve and Deb spent their married life as members of the First Presbyterian Church of both Bucyrus and then Upper Sandusky, where they sang in the choir. In his younger years, Steve could be found grilling bratwurst at the festival as a proud Bucyrus Jaycees member. Over the years, he also served his community as a member of the Board of Directors for Crawford County American Red Cross, as a founding member of Bucyrus Academic Boosters and as treasurer of both the Crawford County Business and Education Council and the Bucyrus Athletic Boosters. He loved children and building relationships between GE and the community, serving GE as a KPOW (Kids and the Power of Work) instructor, as well as serving as a Board member of the Tech Prep Program at North Central State. Steve enjoyed history, particularly about the rise of Industrial America and traveling, his favorite being a 2006 trip to Great Britain. He also enjoyed checking out antique shops with Deb, going on long walks or drives on America’s backroads, whenever possible. He could always be heard whistling and singing as he worked or tinkered with something, or working in the yard.

He will be deeply missed by his wife Debra; children, Amy (Tim) Plumley and Matthew (Anne) Hoover; grandchildren, Logan Plumley, Bailey Plumley, Ella, Mia, Townes and Roman Hoover; his sister and bone marrow donor, Penny Billings; mother-in-law, Dorothy Watts; sister-in-law, Diane (Tim) Kaple as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.



In addition to his parents, Steve was preceded in death by his father-in-law, Harry Wells, and three brothers-in-law, Chuck Billings, Denny Wells and David Wells.



Due to the pandemic, Steve’s family will hold a private funeral service with the Rev. Ken Wessler of the First Presbyterian Church in Upper Sandusky officiating. A public celebration of his life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions can be made to The James Cancer Center and Solove Research Hospital, specified for Lymphoma Research. Steve was also a lifelong blood donor. He ironically needed many such donations during these past few years. It would be his wish that everyone able, please consider donating blood in his name, as it is such a lifeline for so many. Photos, memories and expressions of sympathy are encouraged to be shared on his tribute page.