Kathleen O'Connor
In Honor of Brian Hoover - Center for Transplantation
Fundraising for The University of Kansas Health System
Story
Brian Hoover passed away Saturday, July 11, at the age of 47. Although his life was cut short and our hearts are broken, his strength, spirit, and love will continue to live on in all of us.
Brian was a devoted and loving son to Bob and Gayle Hoover as well as the younger brother to Scott Hoover. Brian was born in Neosho, Kansas and raised in Olathe, Kansas. He developed life-long friends in childhood with “The 061,” and maintained those friendships until his death. This would be a recurring theme…
Brian met his eternal love and partner in crime, Kathleen O’Connor, in the Spring of 2016. Together, they quickly formed a loving bond and grew their lives together. To Brian’s chagrin, he learned to appreciate, partake in, and some may argue welcome Kat’s shenanigans, community activities, and flair for life. Brian developed passions for traveling the world, culinary arts, and, begrudgingly the arts during the holidays. Kat and Brian packed a lifetime of love, affection, and adventure into an all too brief time together.
Brian was always looked up to by family and friends. He was a mainstay and constant presence for all of his nieces and nephews, and he was an active participant in their lives and hobbies. Similarly, Brian played an important role to friends’ families, whether it meant being a wedding officiant, “uncle,” or supplier of Chiefs tickets!
Brian was a life-long Kansas City Chiefs fan. For more than a decade, he “suited up” with the team and provided operational support to stadium management on game-days. For those that had the pleasure of seeing Brian in his Sunday best, he was on cloud nine cheering for his team and rooting them to this year’s Super Bowl victory in Miami.
Brian was bigger than life. He treated everyone he came across with kindness and benevolence. If you met him you couldn’t help but love him…and it’s that spirit that we will all remember about him.
Spirits like his don’t cease existing, they are just sustained differently. He will never be gone as he survives in the hearts of so many. Instead he will watch from above as new memories are created apart from him but never without him. Brian Hoover will live forever through the joy he spread and the kindnesses he shared. Missed, undoubtedly. Forgotten, never. Loved, endlessly.
Every night, Kat and Brian would go to bed with the same loving ritual, and it’s this ritual that we use to end Brian’s program:
I love you, Boo Boo. All my heart. All my soul. A Kiss, A Kiss, A Kiss…Still felt tonight as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow and forever…Three kisses to say I love you always.
