Arlene Hovland

Arlene Hovland, 98, of Brookings, passed away Saturday, December 7, 2024, at a care center in Brookings.

Funeral services will be 11:00 am Thursday, December 12, 2024 at Hope Lutheran Church in Summit. Interment will follow lunch at the Ortley Cemetery.

Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.

Arlene Oriette Davidson was born to Albert and Alma (Amundson) Davidson on October 5, 1926, on the family farm near Holmquist, South Dakota. She attended Gem School #153 in Lynn Township until 1938, when the family moved to Ortley, South Dakota. She graduated from Waubay High School in 1945.

Arlene was united in marriage to Oliver Hovland on July 10, 1949, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Waubay. The couple made their home in Ortley and raised their family. Arlene worked for several years at the Day County Hospital in Webster. She was active in the Mothers’ Club and PTA at Waubay. She was also a member of the Good Neighbor Club in Ortley. She served on the school board as well as the town bord of Ortley. She was active on the church council and held offices in the church women’s organization at Hope Lutheran Church in Summit. She enjoyed doing Hardanger embroidery and solving crossword puzzles. She went on several tours, including one to Norway in 1986. 

Arlene and Oliver wintered in Arizona for 20 years. The couple moved to Heritage Village in Webster in 1999. Oliver passed away on October 1, 2001. Arlene continued to reside in Webster until 2017, when she moved to an assisted living facility in Brooking. In 2019, she was transferred to a nursing home in Brookings where she was living at the time of her passing. 

She is survived by her three sons, Warren (Denise) Hovland of Brookings, SD, Brad (Kris) Hovland of Rapid City, SD, and Steve Hovland of Scottsdale, AZ; two granddaughters, Holly Hovland in Arizona and Gena Shirley in Rapid City; and two great-grandchildren, Kash and McKaena Gonzalez in AZ, as well as many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters, Prudence and Dorothy; four brothers, Albin, Clarence, Lester, and Scotty; an infant sister Christine; her husband Oliver; and an infant son, Mark Oliver Hovland.