Mr. Charles "Charlie" Patrick Hovis

Charles (Charlie) Patrick Hovis was born July 26, 1928, in Fayetteville, TN, the youngest of four children to Robert and Mary Alma Hovis. His family moved to Guntersville, AL, after his parents lost the family farm during the Great Depression. He returned to TN for high school years at Morgan Preparatory. Charlie went on to receive his B.A. in Political Science and Education in 1951 from Erskine College in Due West, SC. Then he moved to the D.C. area, lived with his Uncle Bill Jobe, so he could attend George Washington University Law School at night. To pay for his education, he worked at local stores and then began his work in both the federal and local courts of Washington, D.C. He received his Juris Doctorate in 1955 from G.W. Charlie worked for ten years in private practice in D.C. and Maryland before joining the General Counsel's office of the General Accounting Office (GAO) as Deputy Assistant General Counsel for procurement law. After twelve years at GAO, he was appointed by the Secretary of Defense and the Military Department Secretaries in 1980 as Administrative Law Judge for the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals. He retired from the Board in 1988. Charlie’s personal life was full and treasured. On Saturday, May 2, 1959, Charlie married Janet Marie Fowler, at Bethesda Presbyterian Church, in Bethesda, MD. On May 2, 2010, they celebrated 51 years of marriage. After Janet retired as a microbiologist from the National Institutes of Health, Charlie and Janet left the D.C. area and moved to Hilton Head Island, S.C., in 1989. They decided in 1998 to live full-time in the North Carolina mountains, first in Maggie Valley, then Waynesville, and finally in 2006 they moved to their current home in Asheville. Charlie and Janet loved to travel and were very grateful to enjoy many journeys during their retirement years including trips to Janet's childhood home in Tokyo, Japan, as well as cruise trips to Scandinavia and Russia; South America; the South Pacific Islands; New Zealand; Australia and many islands in the Caribbean. Their three daughters will forever appreciate the love for natural beauty, adventure and different cultures their parents modeled for them. Charlie will be remembered for his humor, his outspoken opinions and his desire for a more humane and just world. He wore his emotions and opinions openly and we will always love him for it. At the same time, he did not like to linger long, whether for a phone conversation or chat after church; his need to keep moving was with him until the end. The glances and glimmers in his eyes were priceless gems. Charlie is survived by his loving wife whom he cherished, Janet Hovis of Asheville; his three daughters, Carol Marie Hovis, of San Rafael, CA; Katherine Anne Hovis of Denver, CO; and Brenda Baker Hovis Lewis of High Point, NC. He is also survived by his two precious grandchildren, Corynne Baker Lewis and Dylan Edwin Lewis, of High Point as well as his son-in-law, Chris Highland, of San Rafael. In addition, he is survived by his sister Rachel Taylor of Chattanooga, TN, her four children and their families, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, all who were important to him. A memorial service to celebrate Charlie's life will be held on Thursday, July 1, 2010, 2:00PM, at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Asheville, NC. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Charles' honor to any of the following: Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, Asheville, NC; the National Park Foundation; or Doctors Without Borders. Morris Funeral Home, 304 Merrimon Avenue is assisting the family.

Tributes

Mr. Charles "Charlie" Patrick Hovis

July 26, 1928 - May 29, 2010