ELIZABETH HOVEY

Betsy attended Cascade High School and received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Iowa State University, where she majored in English education and English as a second language (ESL). As a teaching assistant and temporary instructor at ISU, she taught freshman composition and ESL courses.

She met Erick Hovey when they were students at ISU, and they were married in Nevada, Iowa, on August 29, 1989. In 1991, they moved to Fort Dodge when Erick took over his family’s farm.

For over twenty years, Betsy worked from home as a copy editor. She copyedited books for Iowa State Press, Smithsonian Institution Press, the University of Michigan Press, and Blackwell Publishing, and worked on articles in the astrophysics journals Physical Review D and Physical Review Letters for PreMedia Global. She later farmed with her husband.

Betsy served on the Webster County Democrats Central Committee and was secretary on the board of the YWCA, where she co-organized its ninetieth birthday celebration. She loved her family and friends, her cats and dogs, nature, sailing, reading, and most especially her husband.

She is survived by her husband Erick, sister Diann (Newton) Kirby, her brothers James (Lynn) Hostert, Richard (Suzanne) Hostert, Philip (Verica) Hostert, and sister-in-law Susan (Ian) Webster. She is preceded in death by her parents.

In lieu of flowers, direct donations to your favorite charity. Betsy wished to be cremated and forego a visitation and service.

Arrangements are entrusted to Gunderson Funeral Home & Cremation Services.