Harry Henry Hoult

April 7, 1943 - January 28, 2020

Harry Henry Hoult was the 7th child, and 2nd son of nine children born to Samuel David and Bessie Margaret (Golda) Hoult. He was born April 7, 1943 in Omaha, Nebraska at Doctor’s Hospital, the first kid in his family to be born in a hospital. He had a fun childhood growing up in South Omaha. He remembered playing with the neighborhood kids just off 36th & Q Street, going to the movies, walking the railroad tracks, and whatever trouble he could find. He met Mary Jean Novotny at his sister, Josie’s home at a Valentine Party. They were 14 and 13 at the time. Two years later, Mary Jean left a Valentine in his locker at Omaha South High, and after opening it, Harry tracked her down, and asked her out. Let’s just say, they were together ever since. Her friend, Geraldine, said to her that once Mary got her hook in someone she sure didn’t let go. Harry joined the United States Marine Corps his junior year of high school, and left two weeks after graduation in 1961 to go to boot camp at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California. A year later, he left for two weeks to return to Nebraska to marry Mary Jean. On June 16, 1962, they married at Castellar Presbyterian Church in Omaha. He had proposed the last Christmas, by putting the engagement ring in a small box inside many other boxes that were all wrapped. They made their way back to Camp Pendleton, where they made their home in a (What Mom called) tin can. It was a very small trailer on the base. It became even smaller when a cat named Stinky, a parakeet, a chipmunk, and Mary’s sister, Annie moved in. It was during one of the training events that Harry had his ear drums blown out by one of the big guns, when someone forgot to yell “clear”, so they could cover their ears. For the rest of his life, he had trouble with his ears. Before the Doctors finally got it right, he would have such dizzy spells that he would make it home and fall face first into bed. Mom would make sure the bucket was close. He would stay that way for a few days, before his head would be clear, again. There were a few times he would get these spells at work, and they would call Mom to come get him. With two kids, she would call his brothers, and they would somehow get him home and into bed. It was many years of this before the Doctors finally found medication to help. He had a few surgeries to help, but that would take more of his hearing away, until he would be almost completely deaf. It took 20 years before the technology to catch on the hearing aids, too. He got to be pretty good at reading lips. He didn’t like going to functions with a lot of people, because of his hearing aids. Harry and Mary stayed 4 years in California, until Harry’s discharge in 1965. They made their way back to Omaha, in a station wagon loaded with a pregnant wife, sister-in-law, cat, and all their belongings. Once home, Harry went to work at the packing house. Their first kid was born shortly after they arrived back, and they moved to a farmhouse just off 156th & Pacific (on the property that has the fire station and a windmill just behind it) just up the hill from Fred & Joyce. Their second kid, Danny was born and when Danny was 4 months old, the family moved to Valley, Nebraska. There, Harry worked at Werner Enterprise. With the help of a loan from his in-laws, Harry and Mary bought a home and raised their kids. After some pushing from Mom, Harry applied and got a job at Valmont Industries, where he worked for 37 and a half years. He had fun in Valley, planting fruit trees and reaping the awards from them. After the flood of 1978, Harry and Mary set out to find a home to live in. It took a while, but they found a pre-fab home business in North Platte. It was fun to go and pick out what Mom and Dad needed or wanted (Bay Window) in the new home. It arrived in November 1979 in two halves, and within two hours, we had a home. After the electricity and plumbing were hooked up, they moved in. There were many happy memories there, and sad, too, but we stuck together, even when Danny went through his wild teenage days. Sadly, Mary Jean was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1995 or 1996. Harry cared for her for the 12 years she was sick, and he retired from Valmont after her passing in 2007. He took a two week trip up to Oregon to see his sister, Tootsie, then down to the California coastline to Camp Pendleton, then across to Alabama to see his sister, Rhoda. The family took the same trip back in 1987, when Danny was stationed at Fort Tacoma, Washington. He also took a trip out east to see many sights out there. Harry enjoyed fishing, hunting (though it was more to get out in nature than shoot something), and working on cars. Danny and he took on restoring a ’57 Chevy Nomad, and had it running well. Sadly, harry lost his only son in 2011. He took that hard. He went on in life camping, fishing, taking trips, and visiting loved ones, and so on. With his cancer diagnosis, it was just another hurdle for him to overcome. He was the kind of man who would give you the shirt off him back, but complain about it later. He stopped many times when someone needed help on the road, or pick up hitchhikers, or help any one in the family who needed it. He would always be on the look out for things the family might like. He took on taking care of his sister when she no longer could do so herself. He was the “No” guy in our family. If we asked Mom, more than likely, the answer would be “yes”, unless she told us to ask Dad. Then we knew the answer would be “no”. His glass was half empty, and Mom’s was half full, so they were good together, despite him being the most stubborn person she met. She learned to get around that. Especially when she wanted a pond, and Dad said, “no”. She and Dawn started digging, and, yep, here came Dad and Danny, and they dug the pond. Now, Mom wanted a 3X3 pond, and by the time Dad and Danny were done, it was more like 12X12! That’s OK, Mom had fun with it for many years. So being more stubborn than her husband paid off. Harry died in Omaha, Nebraska on Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at the age of 76 years, 9 months, and 21 days. He was preceded in death by his parents, Samuel and Bessie, wife Mary Jean, son Daniel, sisters Josephine Novotny, Dorothy Swinarski, Evelyn Cook, and Betsy Hurd, and brother Fred Hoult. Harry is survived by his daughter, Dawn of Valley, grandsons Anton and Luke Hoult, sisters Rhoda Horne of Elkhorn, and Gloria Radil of Omaha, brother Bob Hoult of Omaha, many nieces, nephews, cousins, and wonderful friends, and his significant other, Mary Lou Dailey.