David M Hovland was born in Columbus Montana on February 8, 1944 to the Reverand Julius Martin Hovland and Gladys M (Johnshoy) Hovland.  He died September 16, 2023 at his home in Eau Claire, Wisconsin from cancer.

His family lived in Absarokee, MT for 5 years then moved to Sunburst, MT where they lived through Dave and sister JoAn's high school years in the shadow of his beloved Sweetgrass Hills.  A good athlete, Dave played 3 sports in high school: baseball, football, and basketball.  He was a good student and graduated as valedictorian of North Toole County High School in 1962.

Dave went to college at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, where both his mom and dad had attended.  There he majored in Math and Chemistry with the intention of teaching.  He was also active in the religious commission and student government.

Barely escaping the military draft during the VietNam war, he was called to teach in Great Falls, MT.  He enjoyed teaching and married Wilma Johnson June 15, 1974.  They would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2024.  Shortly thereafter, they moved to Cedar Rapids, IA where he was a claims manager for National Farmer's Union crop insurance.  This is where their son Lance was born in 1977 and daughter Sara was born in 1979.  He moved with his family to Eau Claire, WI in 1989 and began working for North Central Crop Insurance until retirement at 62.

A lifelong Lutheran, he was always active with his church.  Recently he served on committees at Grace Lutheran Church where he became president of the congregation.  He also served on the Grace Lutheran Foundation board of directors.

Family life was very important to Dave. Paddling down the river or playing games with his wife, children and grandchildren made a perfect day for him. He also loved watching his children's and grandchildren's activities in sports and music.

Dave was always a proponent of equal opportunities for women, especially in terms of sports.  He was instrumental in the creation of both the youth traveling and high school women's soccer programs in Eau Claire. He loved coaching, beginning with coaching track and basketball back in Montana. He even convinced Wilma to begin running, even though she wasn't sure she liked it.  He even coached her to the point of a sub 3 hour marathon in Boston.  When his kids were involved in sports he coached their soccer teams.  He became an excellent coach and continued to coach the Eau Claire United in the women's soccer program after Sara had moved on.

Everybody seemed to enjoy being around Dave, which is understandable given his positive and slightly quirky temperament. He was quick with a quip all the time until his death, often charming his doctors and nurses within a few minutes. Inspired by Sara's constant movement, he nicknamed her Flutterby.  He then became convinced that the original word for butterfly was actually flutterby because that described their flight.

While he usually finished what he started, it may have happened on his own time.  He began construction on a playhouse for his kids when they moved to Eau Claire, but didn't complete it before they left home.  Upon completion of the "cliffhouse," he conveniently took over as president.   As president he generously conveyed "graduate" status to those who visited the cliffhouse, though no one really figured out what requirements they met in order to achieve such esteem.  During this time, he reveled in drinking Lienie's Big Butt and when discontinued, lamented the fact he could no longer say he had a big butt. Shortly thereafter he grew to love Buffalo Trace Bourbon, which was as hard to find as Atlantis.

Nature made Dave's "corpuscles dance," and he spent much of his time in the woods around their home.  During the winter he broke trail with his wooden cross country skis. He loved to wear shorts year-round and even in below freezing weather. As such, he will forever hold the title of "Shortsman of the year." After enjoying the "breezes on his kneeses," he would come in to build a cozy fire with the wood he chopped from the woods throughout the year.  When the weather was more hospitable, he loved paddling either a canoe or kayak (yakkin') on the rivers of Montana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Dave is survived by his wife Wilma of 49 years, his son Lance, daughter-in-law Racheal, daughter Sara, sister JoAn Sanders and grandchildren Anika and Henry Hovland in addition to cousins, nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

He is predeceased by his father Julius, mother Gladys, and his grandparents.

The visitation will be at Grace Lutheran Church on Saturday, September 23rd from 1:00 - 2:15 pm.  The funeral will follow at 2:30 pm.

Memorials can be directed to Grace Lutheran Church or Mayo Clinic Health Systems, Attn: Oncology.