A no host reception was given in honor of Bob Hovis and Willa, nee Astill, on March 21, 2009 at the Cattlemen’s Restaurant in Redding, Calif., by their two children, Robert and Mary Ann.
Eighteen guests arriving from various distances were present for the festivity.
Willa is from the Roseville area, coming from three decades of the Astills, since Gold Rush days and the former Astill Ranch.
She met Bob, who was attending Sacramento State, and they married in 1959. She worked in the dietetics department at the North Sacramento Hospital.
Bob worked for CI&I, State Department of Justice, then transferred into the state’s correctional system as an officer. Bob then turned professional with the Boy Scouts of America as an executive, and they made their first home in Citrus Heights.
An eventual move was made to Siskiyou County where Willa worked as a cook for the Piemont Restaurant for nine years, then transferred over to Wendy’s Restaurant for another 17 years.
Bob became a certified Life Underwriter for the Modern Woodmen of America while obtaining his FIC designation and his title as a camp recreation specialist.
Both are retired now, enjoying the fruits of their labors. Their two children are married while maintaining lives of their own. There are two grandchildren, a great-grandchild and another great-grandchild on the way.
Redding, Calif. —
