Rodney Leroy Hoover, 83, of Columbia, Maryland, died Thursday, July 16, 2015 at Vantage House in Columbia.
   Born December 2, 1931 in Newburg, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the late Joseph F. and Grace C. Shuman Hoover. He was the husband of Joann N. Hoover. They had been married for 62 years.
   He was a retired teacher of physics and general science with the Baltimore County Board of Education having taught for 33 years (primarily at Milford Mill and Randallstown Senior High Schools). He also taught part time at Catonsville Community College and Howard County Community College for a number of years. He graduated from Shippensburg State Teachers College. He received a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University. He also attended South Dakota School of Mines, Rutgers University, Temple University, Washington University and George Washington University. He served in The U.S. Marines from 1953-1955. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed biking, skiing, canoeing, hiking, bird watching and golf. He was a member of the Monocacy Canoe Club. He especially enjoyed spending time in Canaan Valley, West Virginia. He was an active member at Bethany United Methodist Church in Ellicott City, Maryland.
   He is survived by his wife, his son Dennis and daughter-in-law Debra Hoover of Sykesville, Maryland, his grandchildren Nick (wife Katherine), Ashley and Tori Hoover, and his great-grandson, in whom he took great delight, Xavier Hoover. He is also survived by brothers William, Philip, Alan, Jay and Ned Hoover and sisters Nancy Alexander and Kathryn Lauver as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
  The family will receive friends Tuesday from 2-4 & 6-8 PM at the Jeffrey N. Zumbrun Funeral Home, 6028 Sykesville Road, Eldersburg, MD. Funeral services will be held Wednesday 12 Noon at Bethany United Methodist Church, 2875 Bethany Lane, Ellicott City, MD with Pastor Andrew Cooney, officiating. Internment will follow in Crest Lawn Memorial Gardens. Sympathies may be expressed in the form of contributions to the Cancer Research Institute (http://www.cancerresearch.org/giving-to-cri) or the United Methodist Committee on Relief (http://www.umcor.org/UMCOR/Support).
   Online condolences may be offered at www.jnzumbrunfuneralhome.com.