Norman W. Hoover, M.D.
August 23, 1923 – May 14, 2015
Norman was born the second of four children in the small community of Millville, MN. Like most children of that era Norman carried with him many lessons from the Great Depression; but the special gift from his mother was his love of learning, respect for all people and desire to make the world a better place.
After medical school, Norman served in the U.S. Army where he developed his interest in orthopedics. He honed his skills in orthopedics at the Mayo Clinic for 9 years. While at Mayo, Norman worked with Project Hope to bring medical aid to many developing countries including South Vietnam, where he developed a love for the Vietnamese people, which had an impact on the rest of his life. He lived in Saigon in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s where he was instrumental in building a medical school at the University of Saigon and designing a protocol for health care in developing countries.
In 1970, Norman married Dieu-Hoi, with whom he would spend the rest of his life. After returning to the U.S. in 1974, Norman practiced medicine in Mason City, Iowa and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He retired to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 2005.
During his life, Norman leveraged the simple lessons that he learned in Millville into broad ranging work that helped people around the world. He loved to wear bow ties, drive Jaguars and ride horses. Norman’s wonderful sense of humor and mental acuity delighted everyone even through the last week of his life. Norman died peacefully at the age of 91. He will be missed greatly by his wife, his surviving siblings, his 4 children, 3 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.