Barbara Louise Hovis, 86

With a heavy heart, we share the passing of our loved one. Barbara Louise Hanson/Hovis, age 86, passed away peacefully in her home on August 2, 2025, in Butte, Montana. Barb was born on June 20, 1939, to her parents, Melvin Walter Hanson and Daisy Elna Hanson, in Whitehall, Montana. She was the oldest of four siblings: her sisters, Donna Tenneson and Sheryl Duffy, and her brother, Danny Hanson, who grew up on a ranch in Cardwell.

Barbara attended Cardwell School through the eighth grade. She then attended Whitehall High School, where she participated in cheerleading and was named Homecoming Queen as a senior. She graduated from Whitehall High School in 1957. She then attended St. Pats Nursing School, graduating in 1960, the same year she married Norman Robert Hovis.

Together, they had five children: Gary, Roger, Karen, Lisa, and Leslie.

Barbara was a nurse of many talents. She worked in Butte at both the Silver Bow General Hospital and St. James Hospital for twenty-seven years. Barb also served as President of the Montana Nurses Association. She then left for Washington in 1987 to further her nursing career. She was a labor and delivery nurse and even delivered her first grandchild, Brittney. Barb later worked on the IV team in Seattle, WA. When Barb retired at age 70, she flourished her hands in her beautiful garden. In May 2024, she returned to Montana and spent the last year of her life surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

Barbara is survived by her sisters, Donna Tenneson and Sheryl (Dave) Duffy; her children, Roger (Sherry) Hovis, Karen Hovis, Lisa (Steve) Grachan, and Leslie Hovis; grandchildren, Daniel (Mayra) Greene, Dawn (Mike) Denning, Brittney (Kyle) Fradenburgh, Derek (Kayla) Metcalf, Jacob (Jackie) Duran, Ryen Grachan, Kinzie Rust and Christopher Rust; great grandchildren, Kiana, Alexa, Julian, Austin, Ashlee, Jeremy, Shade, Haidyn, Ainsley, KyrieAnn, Norman, and Hazel; great-great grandchildren, Issac, Mateo, Arora, Adaline, Everlee, and Hailee.

Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, Melvin and Elna Hanson; her brother, Danny Hanson; and her son, Gary Hovis, who passed away at just one day old.

A Celebration of Life was held on August 9, 2025, in Butte. Barbara will be deeply missed, but fondly remembered.

The Love of Gardening is a Seed Once Sown that Never Dies – Gertrude Jekyll