Bonnie Hoover

Bonnie Marie (Jenkins) Hoover was born Feb. 28, 1934, to Joseph Ulysess Jenkins and Leona Mabel (Cloud) Jenkins in a sod hut in Lincoln County, Colo. Her grandpa gave her the nickname of Cottontop. She went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 at the age of 89.

Visitation will be held Sunday, Jan. 28, at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home in Miles City, Mont., with family receiving friends from 4 to 6 p.m.

A funeral service will be held on Monday, Jan. 29, at 1 p.m. at Stevenson's Funeral Home in Miles City. Interment will follow at the Eastern Montana State Veterans Cemetery. Following the burial please join the family at the VFW for a time of fellowship.

Bonnie and several of her siblings went to Fountain School in Colorado Springs, so they boarded with other families and went home on the weekends. The Jenkins family had a bull, that when as kids they would pull his testicles, he would allow them to climb on and ride him home.

Bonnie was watching a set of twins when she met Floyd E. Hoover where he was working for Smith Cattle Company. They married on Nov. 9, 1952. She cooked for ranch hands and drove a station wagon as a school bus while having two or three kids of her own along for the ride. She also sold Tupperware on the side. They moved to Montana in 1959 for Floyd to continue working for Smith Cattle Company and had two more daughters.

Over the years she has worked many jobs including working for Beacon Carter, Lohman Motors, H&R Block, 600 Cafe, and Smith Livestock first as cook to the hired hands, then later as their secretary.

She was a member of the various beef/homemaker clubs. She was active on the school board at Trail Creek School. She loved sharing her knowledge of cooking and beef by working with many different clubs either demonstrating how to or judging cookoffs. She also liked quilting. She

loved spending time with family especially the great-grandkids and playing pinochle.

She is survived by two brothers, Bill (Marlyn) Jenkins and John (Judy) Jenkins; her children, daughter Sheryl Whitney (Dwayne), of Miles City, son Bruce Hoover, of Miles City, son Keith (Barb) Hoover, of Ismay, Mont., daughter Jenifer Villeneauve, of Glasgow, Mont., and daughter Julie (RJ) Hubbard, of St. Marie, Mont .; grandchildren Josh, Seth (Casey), Tessa Whitney. Terry (Ann) Nass, Michelle Berry, Cactus (Mike) Steelman, Autumn (Layne) Murnion. Kayla (Joe) Kiel, Jeremy (Brittany) Hoover, Greg Villeneauve; and numerous great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting: http://www.stevensonandsons.com.