James "Jim" E. Hovde passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, March 9th, at his home. He was 65 years old. Jim's family is deeply saddened and shocked by his sudden death.

Jim was born to Donald and Virginia Hovde on October 5th, 1959, at Madison General Hospital and resided in Madison, WI for the majority of his life. He graduated from Madison East High School in 1978 and went on to attend UW-Oshkosh, later graduating from UW-Madison. Jim was a devout Christian and attended Door Creek Church, while also visiting other churches to attend Christian services.

Jim is survived by his four siblings: Steven D. Hovde, Jane Elizabeth Hennessy (Daniel), Eric D. Hovde (Sharon), and Kirsten Ann Shea (Jim), as well as numerous nieces and nephews, and his beloved cats, Remington and Haley. He was preceded in death by his parents, Donald and Virginia Hovde.

Jim was a natural salesperson and could talk to anyone. He had a wonderful sense of humor and enjoyed making people laugh. He helped his father, Donald, assemble hundreds of acres of land on the east side of Madison and was instrumental in the development of Richmond Hills. He was a diehard Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin Badgers, and the biggest Elvis Presley fan. Later in life, he came to enjoy playing pickleball.

Jim, like many, had his struggles and battled alcoholism for 20 years before finding sobriety. He was a regular attendee of Alcoholics Anonymous and sponsored many others who struggled with addiction. James had a passion for his pets and animals, regularly volunteering at animal shelters, adopting pets, and providing financial resources to animal rights groups. He will be remembered for his great laugh and kind heart.

The funeral service will be held at Door Creek Church (6602 Dominion Dr, Madison, WI 53718) on Friday, March 28th, at 12:30 PM, followed by a celebration of life at 1855 Saloon & Grill (218 S Main St, Cottage Grove, WI 53527) from 1:30 to 3:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Dane County Humane Society would be appreciated. To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com.

Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services

2418 N Sherman Ave

608-249-8257

James Hovde

October 05, 1959 - March 09, 2025

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