Bettye "Tosy" Hovda (Maienschein) Mantey
Bettye "Tosy" Hovda (Maienschein) Mantey, 81, longtime resident of Evansville, died peacefully on Thursday, March 22, 2007, in Dayton, Ohio.
Born June 13, 1925, Tosy was the daughter of Johanna Lillian Altheide and William Lewis Maienschein of Evansville. A member of the National Honor Society and journalist for the school newspaper, Tosy graduated from Bosse High School in 1943. She was an active member and officer of Mortar Board and Pi Beta Phi sorority and she graduated with honors from Purdue University in 1947 with a degree in home economics. After graduation, she worked as a teacher before marrying Richard "Dick" Berger Hovda, also of Evansville, on June 14, 1947, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Evansville.
Active in the Girl Scouts throughout her life, Tosy worked for several years as a Girl Scout professional in Chicago and Evansville. She also served as president of the Vanderburgh County Raintree Council of the Girl Scouts. Tosy was greatly honored to represent the United States as a Girl Scout Delegate at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. She was also actively involved with the Order of the Eastern Star, Order of the White Shrine, Order of the Rainbow for Girls and the Order of Amaranth.
Tosy was very supportive of her husband, Dr. Hovda, throughout his medical studies and medical residency at Northwestern University and during a fellowship at New York University where he helped pioneer cardiac cineangiography. Tosy and Dick returned to Evansville after his training in diagnostic radiology and radiation therapy where he was instrumental in advancing the practice of radiology and radiation therapy in the Evansville area. Tosy was president of her own medical billing firm, Professional Services, Inc.
Dr. and Mrs. Hovda shared a passion for education and loved traveling, exploring and sharing the history of 49 U.S. states with their five children. Both Tosy and Dick were active members and supporters of many philanthropic organizations including the Evansville Philharmonic, the President's Club of the University of Evansville, the American Red Cross and the Indiana University School of Medicine. Tosy was also active in the Women's Auxiliary of the Vanderburgh County Medical Society in Evansville, as well as, the Evansville Garden Club. Tosy was also a member of the Canby Robinson Society of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.
Mrs. Hovda Mantey was preceded in death by her husband of 30 years, Dick Hovda, in 1977. She subsequently moved to Fort Walton Beach, Fla. She married Wallace F. Mantey of Fort Walton Beach in 1979. Fritz Mantey, her husband of 17 years, died in 1996. Mrs. Hovda Mantey loved the beauty of the Fort Walton Beach area and was a passionate ambassador for the region for many years. Tosy was a member of the Florida Association of Realtors and the Okaloosa Island Garden Club.
She is survived by five children, James Richard Hovda and Jean Dishon of Princeton, Ind., Cynthia Anne Hovda of Terre Haute, Ind., Elizabeth Hovda Ey and her husband, John W. Ey, of Dayton, Ohio, Katherine Hovda Sheeleigh and her husband, Matthias Sheeleigh III, of Harding, N.J., and Caroline Hovda McRee and her husband, J. William McRee, of Florence, S.C. Mrs. Hovda Mantey has seven grandchildren, James Hovda and Kristine Hovda of Evansville, Elizabeth Anne Sheeleigh, Katherine Madison Sheeleigh and Matthias Sheeleigh IV of Harding, N.J., and Katherine Elizabeth Ey and Caroline Grace Ey of Dayton, Ohio.
A memorial service was held on April 14 at Immanuel Anglican Church in Destin, Fla. Until her death, Mrs. Hovda Mantey was a supporter of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, as well as the University of Evansville in Evansville. For those who wish, contributions may be made to the Olaf Hovda and Richard Berger Hovda Physics Scholarship, University of Evansville, 1800 Lincoln Ave., Evansville, IN 47722.
