Tilman Hovland

Feb. 16, 1933-Nov. 4, 2024

Rugby

Tilman Leroy Hovland, 91, Rugby, died at the Heart of America Medical Center on November 4, 2024. His was a life well lived, dedicated to service to others. He was born February 16, 1933, at the family farm near Lignite, North Dakota, to Cora Josephine Monson and Norman Theodore Hovland. He grew up without electricity or indoor plumbing for many years and, as a first grader, rode bareback (by himself) the 5 miles to the one-room country schoolhouse. He graduated from Lignite High School in 1951 and studied at Minot State Teachers College for a year. He took a year off to teach Grades 1-8 in a one-room schoolhouse near Lignite, then in 1953 was drafted into the Army’s rocketry division, a precursor to NASA. He studied under Werner Von Braun, pioneer of the U.S. space program, in Huntsville, Alabama, and tested rockets at White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico. In his spare time, he flew a Piper Cub airplane and raced cars at Bonneville Salt Flats. After his discharge, he finished his degree, earning a B.S. from Minot State and an M.A. from UND. He married Kathryn Mary Blaisdell in 1956 and they raised three children, Richard (1957), Ann (1959), and Robert (1962) in Rugby. He taught music at Berthold, Towner, and Rugby. He was Rugby’s Music Man for 62 years. He taught thousands of students, founded the community concert series, conducted the community orchestra, was a charter member of Village Arts Inc. and Brass Band of Minot, and gave private lessons well into his 80s. Gentle, passionate, and infinitely patient, he was a teacher in every sense. He saw potential in every student and made it his mission to help them develop that potential, even when they didn’t see it themselves. He cared deeply for his students; he may have forgotten a few names, but always remembered what instrument they played! His five grandkids brought out the kid in him and he rarely missed a grandkid’s event. He was a renaissance man: musician, carpenter, mechanic, engineer, and athlete, playing basketball into his 50s. A Mr. fix-it, he would tackle any project, believing if he didn’t know how to do it, he’d figure it out: overhaul repair, remodel, restore, or build from scratch. An eternal optimist, he never let the truth stand in the way of a good story–and he had a lot of them! He was deeply committed and involved in all aspects of the Rugby community. He was a member of the American Legion, and over 50+ years, played taps for more than 400 military funerals and services–rain, sleet, or snow. He received many awards: having Rugby’s performing arts auditorium named for him, induction into the North Music Educators Hall of Fame, and North Dakota American Legion’s 2021 Distinguished Service Award. He is survived by his sisters Beverly (Hudson), Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Cheryl Malkowski, Belfield, North Dakota; his children, Rich (Jayne Merbach) Hovland, Bismarck; Ann Hovland, West Linn, Oregon; and Rob (Stephanie Klein) Hovland, Rugby; grandchildren, Crystal (Allen Berg) Bismarck; Taylor (Trevor) Gust, Bismarck; Aubrey (Doug Gugel-Bryant) Hovland (Fargo); Nolan Hovland (Nashville); and Mara Buchanan-Hovland (West Linn, Oregon); and three great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife, Kay on July 1, 2024 and his brothers Royal and Norman Hovland.

A memorial service will be held at First Lutheran Church in Rugby on Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 1:00 pm. Interment will be at Persilla Watts Cemetery. Friends may call at the church an hour prior to the service. www.niewoehnerfh.com

Published by The Pierce County Tribune, November 23, 2024.