Hovde remembered for commitment to community

SOAP LAKE - Wayne Hovde, a 30-year resident of Soap Lake, passed away Oct. 29. During his time in the small town he served on the city council and as mayor, adding to a legacy of hard work, determination and service.

“I think (he just wanted) to make Soap Lake great,” said Hovde’s daughter Elayne Hovde-Knudson. “He was a visionary for things, he was able to think outside the box and he really didn’t care what people might’ve thought of him.”

Hovde was born Sept. 5, 1933 in Edmonds, the second oldest of four children. Hovde-Knudson said she felt that his being a “middle child” really brought out his drive to succeed. He joined the U.S. Coast Guard at 18 years old where he spent two years active duty in Korea. He served for a total of six years, during which time he married his high school crush Marie and then was honorably discharged.

The couple had three children; Eric (1954), Elayne (1956) and Rodney (1957).

Hovde-Knudson said her dad worked at and owned numerous different businesses on the west side of the state including floorcovering, farming, a laundromat, mobile washing and real estate. Despite raising three children and running their different businesses, Hovde-Knudson said her parents valued and prioritized quality time together.

“One thing about my dad is he worked really really hard, and my mom worked hard, and they worked long hours, but my dad always made time for us as a family,” said Hovde-Knudson.

While their children were all grown and building their own families, Hovde-Knudson said her parents decided to retire, leave the busy city life behind and move to the small town of Soap Lake in the early ‘90s.

The Hovdes were not the kind who could sit around all day, however, and found lots of things to get involved with. Hovde-Knudson said her parents were involved in Masquers Theater, helping community members in a variety of capacities, the Lutheran church and volunteering where they saw they were needed.

Hovde served as the Mayor of Soap Lake from 2004 to 2011, after having served two terms on the city council.

Many guests at the open house held by his daughter in early December said Hovde ran a tight ship and truly cared about the city. He even went as far as buying Carhartt jackets for all the public works employees one year.

A lot of the terms used to describe Hovde by his daughter and people who knew him were that he had a big heart, had a great sense of humor, was a no-nonsense get-it-done kind of guy, was driven and determined, was tougher on the outside than the inside and genuinely cared about the city.

“He had the ability to never meet anybody he couldn’t deal with,” said DeVaun Black, mayor of Soap Lake from 1980 to 1981. “He never got mad, he never got upset and you always left him with a good feeling.”

Hovde started the Soap Lake Improvement Crew, a volunteer-based crew of community members who would spend time cleaning up the town and improving it in different ways.

Hovde-Knudson said the biggest lesson she learned from her father was to set goals and don’t give up.

“I feel like even though his faith was very private, his character exemplified that nature of caring and giving,” said Hovde-Knudson.

Even though his time as mayor may have been over 10 years ago, his love for the community stretched farther than just as mayor and the impact on the community is still felt.

“We will remember him for his commitment to the community, his strong spirit of volunteerism, his work ethic, and his sense of humor,” longtime Soap Lake residents Burr and Eileen Beckwith said.

The Beckwiths are one of a dozen community members who still volunteer their time in cleaning and improving the town like started by Hovde with the SLIC so many years ago.

Rebecca Pettingill may be reached at rpettingill@columbiabasinherald.com.