Charles Wayne Hoover

Dr. Charles Wayne Hoover, 82, of Magnolia Road, died suddenly and unexpectedly on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 while traveling in China.  A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, at First United Methodist Church in Lexington with the Revs. Jamie Armstrong and Dr. Lee Dukes III officiating. The family will receive friends in the church fellowship hall following the service.  Born March 13, 1935 to the late Clarence Lindsay Hoover and Helen Alexander Hoover in Forsyth County, Charles graduated from Hanes High School in 1953.  He earned a Bachelor of Science in Dentistry and a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  In August 1957, he married the late Shirley Blanton Hoover and remained her caring and loving husband for 48 years until her death in 2005.  Charles proudly served as a dentist in the U.S. Army in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri where he and Shirley’s first two children, Kevin and Kay, were born.  Charles and Shirley then moved to Lexington in 1962 where he opened his own dental practice.  They added two more children, Karen and Kirk, to complete their family.  Charles (also known as Charlie, Dr. Hoover, Dad, and Papaw), practiced dentistry for the next 55 years in Lexington, and with great pride eventually converted the office to a family dental practice when his son Kevin joined him.   Upon moving to Lexington, Charles joined the Lexington Civitan Club and First United Methodist Church and was an active, loyal, and generous member of both until his death.  Over the many happy years and decades, Charles enjoyed a variety of pastimes including, but not limited to: playing bridge with his wife in bridge groups, playing tennis with the guys,  deer hunting near Denton, tailgating in Chapel Hill and Charlotte before football games, and yelling at the referees at said games.  Charlie Hoover was a personality who embodied the phrase “larger than life”.  Wherever he went, he brought the party, and once a year on the 4th of July, he brought the party to him. And boy, were those parties extraordinary.  Thanks to his love of travel, Charlie was a man who truly entertained the entire world.  Whether he was cracking jokes, showing off his trademark whistle, or delighting a room with his signature dance move “The Hoover” when CCR’s Proud Mary was played, Charlie’s presence always brought joy and laughter.  That presence will perhaps be most missed at his High Rock lakehouse, where he spent many treasured moments with his children, grandchildren, and innumerable loved ones.  Charles will be tremendously missed by all those who knew and loved him, but we can take comfort knowing his spirit is still singing: “I’m a Tar Heel born, I’m a Tar Heel bred, and when I die I’m a Tar Heel dead!”  Surviving are his beloved longtime companion, Patsy Anderson Beck; children, Dr. Kevin Hoover (Mary Helen) of Lexington, Kay Sowers (Marty) of Charlotte, Karen Leak (Bob) of Winston-Salem, Kirk Hoover (Lynn) of Mt. Pleasant; grandchildren, Sarah Hoover, Byron Hoover, Kristine Sowers, Charlie Sowers, David Sowers, Margaret Leak, Katherine Leak, Scott Hoover and Lori Hoover; and brother, Richard L. Hoover (Melba).  Memorials may be directed to First United Methodist Church at 310 South Main St., Lexington, NC  27292 and the Lexington Civitan Club, P.O. Box 406, Lexington, NC  27293.