Thomas Edwin Hovey was an Air Force veteran, a systems analyst, a voracious reader, gourmet cook and enthusiastic traveler.

        Above all, say those closest to him, he was devoted to his wife and extended family.

        Mr. Hovey, 54, died Thursday at his Symmes Township home after a long battle with cancer. He was married for 22 years to Terri Jean Hovey, vice president of information technology for The Cincinnati Enquirer.

        “Honor and integrity was an imperative, not a choice, with him,” said Mr. Hovey's brother John “Mort” Hovey of Nashville, Tenn. “He never took the low road.”

        Mr. Hovey was the son and stepson of Edwin and Olith Hovey of Clear Lake, Mich., and was a vigilant big brother to his eight siblings and their children.

        “He was the typical first son,” John Hovey said. “He's the one who holds things together.”

        Mr. Hovey was born in Lansing, Mich., where he lived most of his life. He was in the Air Force from 1965 to 1968 and served in Vietnam.

        “He was proud of being a veteran,” John Hovey said. “The national anthem still brought tears to his eyes.”

        Mr. Hovey worked for 30 years as a systems analyst for a number of companies. He moved with his wife to the Cincinnati area in 1999. By then, he had developed an interest in cooking, and made regular forays to Jungle Jim's in Fairfield for gourmet ingredients.

        Though he never attended col lege, Mr. Hovey was an avid fan of the Michigan State football team; he dubbed the small den where he watched games on TV “The Spartan Room.”

        He also loved car shows.

        “The last year and a half of his life, he got his dream car, a 2000 red Corvette, that he drove like a bat out of hell,” his wife said.

        In addition to his wife, parents and brother John, he is survived by sisters Candace Glaister of Lansing; Margaret Truax of Lynwood, Wash.; Susie Desmond of Traverse City, Mich.; and brothers Phil Hovey, Upper Marlboro, Md.; Al Renton of Van Nuys, Calif.; Tommy Renton of Eaton Rapids, Mich., and Dan “B.D.” Renton of Okemos, Mich., and many nieces and nephews.

        A memorial gathering of family and friends will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 8, at the Holiday Inn West Conference Center, 7501 W. Saginaw Highway, Lansing.

        Memorials can be made to any hospice or the American Cancer Society.

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