Donald Wayne Hoover, 84, of Ada, Oklahoma passed away on May 12, 2022. He was lovingly cared for by his wife, D’Esta, during a time of extended illness. Mr. Hoover was born February 24, 1938, in Tulare, CA to Virgil William and Ola Edith Moore Hoover. The Hoover family, originally from this area, returned to Ada from Tulare when Mr. Hoover was in the third grade. His parents owned a grocery store, and he was active in little league and spent time as a bat boy for the Ada Herefords minor league baseball team. He graduated from Ada High School in 1956, where he lettered in basketball and football and was a member of the National Honor Society, Letterman Club, and Senior Kiwanians. During this time of his life, he played American Legion baseball.
Mr. Hoover married D’Esta Dell Bennett on December 20, 1959, in Lindsay, OK. They met at East Central State College in 1957 at a college church social and were introduced by Dee’s cousin, Gayle Russell Johns. He received his bachelor’s degree in Physical Education with a minor in Math from East Central in 1960, where he lettered in baseball and basketball. He received his master’s degree from Texas Tech University in Physical Education in 1964 and his Public School Administration Certification from the University of Oklahoma in 1973.
Mr. Hoover was employed from 1960 to 1966 as a teacher and coach at Smiley Wilson Jr. High School in Lubbock, TX. From 1966 to 1971 he was a teacher and coach at Roff Public Schools. In 1968, he coached the first double state boys champions for basketball and baseball. From 1971 to 1981, he was the principal and superintendent at Butner Public Schools. From 1981 to 1987, Mr. Hoover was the superintendent at Burlington Public Schools. In 1987, he returned to the Ada area and was the superintendent of Latta Public Schools until his retirement in 1997.
Mr. Hoover was a man of deep faith in God. Throughout his life, he served as a lay preacher for various congregations, served as a church elder, taught numerous bible classes, and served as a volunteer chaplain at Ada Valley View Hospital.
Mr. Hoover received numerous awards and honors during his lifetime including the Oklahoma Association of School Administrators Lifetime Achievement Award, Roff Athletic Hall of Fame, and East Central University Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a founding member of the Oklahoma Rural School Association and a member of the Oklahoma School Administrators Association. He was an avid basketball player and golfer late into life.
He is survived by his wife, D’Esta Dell Bennett Hoover, of the home; children, D’Esta Donette Yeilding (John), Mustang, OK, D’Nisa Dell Simmons (Dwayne), Waco, TX and D’Ann Dalee Allenbach (Blaine), Edmond, OK; grandchildren, Andrew Yeilding (Christina), New Braunfels, TX, Julia Todd (Lane), Mary Esther, FL, David Yeilding, Mustang, OK, Katie Haley (Cornell), Durant, OK, Lindsay Allenbach, Edmond, OK, Dillon Simmons and Danae Simmons, Waco, TX; and great-grandchildren Lindley and Hayden Todd, Mary Esther, FL.
Graveside services will be held on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, 10:30 a.m. at Rosedale Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to In Search of the Lord’s Way at searchtv.org or P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK, 73083.
Criswell Funeral Home, Ada.
