PETAL PICTURES, POETRY, AND PAINTINGS:
THE LEGACY OF NANCY JANE HOVER

Nancy Hover was born in Pennsylvania on December 27, 1947. She passed away after a long and arduous struggle with cancer, on April 18, 2007 at her home in Forestville. Throughout her life, Nancy expressed her creativity in various and wonderful ways. As a pre-school teacher, she guided children with puppet play and helped them learn through circle time songs and stories. In 2006, Nancy wrote a book for preschoolers that she illustrated with delightful, melted crayon drawings.

Nancy was an avid gardener, hiker, bird watcher, and a meticulous observer of the natural world. A kind, gentle, and patient person, Nancy developed a unique art form by taking flower petals from her garden, drying them between the pages of books, and then using the dried flower petals to create charming pictures. She created the “Petal Pictures” business and sold reproductions of her flower petal art as greeting cards.

Throughout her life, and during the defining moments of her illness, Nancy wrote poetry that was both deeply personal and universally evocative. She was quiet and unassuming yet she wrote compelling poems for family and friends that touch the heart.

During her illness, Nancy participated in an “Arts for Healing” class in Sebastopol for cancer patients. During the last months of her life, Nancy produced a series of powerful acrylic paintings that demonstrate both artistic skill and creative talent. Quality reproductions of her paintings are sold as posters and greeting cards. Together, her Petal Pictures, poetry, and paintings form a body of creative work that define a remarkable individual.

IN BRIEF
Born: December 27 1947
Died April 18,2007
Parents: Howard Hover, Rachel Tait Hover
Siblings: James, Marti, Bob
Married: Howard Marantz on December 30, 1988
Children: Sierra Anne, Aaron Moshe