Madelynn J. Hoven

Madelynn J. Hoven

Matlock, Iowa

            Services for Madelynn J. Hoven, age 68, of Matlock, who passed away on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at Sanford Sheldon Medical Center.  A Celebration of Life will be held from 4pm to 8pm, Saturday, June 1^st at the Eagles Club, 411 Park Street, Sheldon, Iowa.  A celebration of life will also be held in Waubay, South Dakota at a later date.   

A service and private family burial will be at the Waubay Cemetery in Waubay, South Dakota.   

Madelynn J. Hoven, age 68, of Matlock, Iowa passed away after a brief battle with cancer on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at Sanford Sheldon Medical Center in Sheldon.

Madelynn Joan Heyl was born on September 14, 1955, in LeMars, Iowa. She was the daughter of Milton and Alvina (Ruble) Heyl. She lived her youth in LeMars and Boyden Iowa, she attended school at Boyden-Hull, when she was a senior, her family moved to Sheldon, Iowa where she graduated from Sheldon High School.    She also attended Northwest Iowa Technical College.   

She was united in marriage to Mike Hoven on March 3, 1975 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Their son Jeff was born in 1976.   Mike worked construction on the road and they lived in various places across the country. They purchased a house in Matlock, Iowa and made it their home.    Mike continued to work on the road and Madelynn stayed in Matlock so that Jeff could attend school.   In 2007, with the help of their family and friends, they built a lake home on Blue Dog Lake in Waubay, South Dakota where they spent most of their time after retiring.  

 Madelynn worked at and later managed Carl Zeiss Vision optical lab in Sheldon for over 38 years.   She retired in 2022 after Zeiss closed its Sheldon location.  She was a mentor and friend to many co-workers over the years.  

Mike and Madelynn enjoyed fishing together. She appreciated the simple things in life, a good cup of coffee, good conversation with friends, and just enjoying the day sitting on the patio or in the boat.  She also enjoyed watching NFL football, her favorite team was whoever was winning that year.    Recently she loved watching and following Caitlyn Clark and talking about it with her sister, Jane.   She also loved watching the wildlife in her yard and at the lake house.   She had a flock of geese that returned to their lake point every spring, she spent many hours watching them and putting out nesting material in hopes she she would be able to watch “her geese” raise their goslings.

Madelynn enjoyed taking care of everyone and everything.   Whether a friend or a stranger, a bird, squirrel, or racoon, she loved to feed you.   She was an amazing cook and welcomed everyone into her home with a smile.  Her kindness and generosity were evident to every person who met her. 

Those left to cherish her memories are her husband Mike of 49 years, her son Jeff and his wife Lori Hoven of Matlock, Iowa.   Her siblings, Marcia Baker of Hornick, Iowa, Jane (Rick) Kroon of Yankton, South Dakota, and Greg (LaRae) Heyl of Anamosa, Iowa; Her mother-in-law, Dian Hoven of Colton South Dakota, Sisters-in-law, Susan (Alan) Knops, Sarasota, Florida; Pam Colling, Manning, Iowa; Joy (Rich) Letner, Sheldon, Iowa and Kim (Pat) Udermann, Foley, Minnesota and many other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her father-in-law, Howard Hoven, three brothers-in-law, John Baker, Paul Hoven and Ron Colling, and her beloved dogs, Amy and Missy.