Thomas J. Hovanec
Thomas J. Hovanec, 78, of Butler passed away Monday at Butler Memorial Hospital.
Born Feb. 15, 1936, in Pittsburgh, he was the son of the late John T. and Ethel Tkach Hovanec.
He was employed by the Butler School District as an elementary educator for 35 years, retiring in 1993.
He was a 1958 graduate of Shippensburg State Teachers College, where he earned his B.S.E.D. He later went on to earn his master's degree at Westminster College, graduating in 1967.
He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in the 87th Infantry Regiment, “The Conquerors,” in Fort Benning, Ga., also the 21st Infantry Regiment, “The Gimlets,” in Munich, Germany.
He was a lifetime member of the National Education Association, the NRA and Butler Elks Lodge 170. He was a founding member of the Civil War Roundtable and also a founding member of Little Beavers Rod and Gun Club in Bedford. He was also a member of the Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees.
He enjoyed reading, especially history, hunting, traveling, and doing yard work.
He was a member of St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in Butler.
Surviving are his wife, Charine Petrarca Hovanec, who he married July 27, 1968; his son, Matthew (Colleen) Hovanec of Lititz; his daughter, Rachel (Jeffrey) Spirer of Dardenne Prairie, Mo.; his four grandchildren, Pfc. Andrew Hackman of Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Matthew Hackman, Ethan Spirer and Madison Spirer, all at home; and his numerous nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Hovanec — Friends of Thomas J. Hovanec, who passed away Monday, May 19, 2014, will be received at Geibel Funeral Home, 201 E. Cunningham St., Butler, from 2 to 4:30 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday.A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, 128 N. McKean St., Butler. Interment will follow at Butler County Memorial Park.In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Butler County Symphony Association, 259 S. Main St., Butler, PA. 16001.For more information or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.geibelfuneralhome.com.
