submitted by bergc2@augsburg.edu
Garfield Quinten Hoversten ’50, 96, passed away on Jan. 22, 2023. Hoversten attended Augsburg, graduating with degrees in chemistry and math. He met his wife, Bernice (Kolden) ’50, there, and together they had eight kids.
The Hoversten family loved to travel, visiting relatives all over the United States. Garfield was a photographer, hunter, and Boy Scout commissioner. He went on to receive a master’s degree in science education from St. Cloud University and a real estate license.
His dedication to education was evident in his career as a math teacher at Richfield High school and as a science teacher at East Junior High. He also taught driver’s education and summer school.
Garfield was key in getting the funds for building the Hoversten Chapel at Augsburg, seeking support from family members, friends and alumni.
“He was instrumental in the ‘FUNdraising’ for Hoversten,” said Babette Chatman ’06, university pastor and director of campus ministry at Augsburg. “One of our amazing AUSM (Augsburg University Student Ministries) student leaders was a third cousin of Garfield, and it was fun to share in her pride that her family was key in the building and dedication of such a sacred space.”
The Hoversten Chapel is a multi-denominational facility that can seat up to 650 people and is a multi-use space, used for weddings, lectures, presentations or general sessions. The chapel also features a Dobson pipe organ and 9′ Steinway grand piano.
In 1990, Garfield established the Bernice Kolden Hoversten Memorial Choral Scholarship in memory of his wife, who was a soloist in the Augsburg choir. The scholarship is awarded annually to a freshman student member of an Augsburg University choir.
The funeral service will be held on Saturday, Jan. 28, at Oak Grove Lutheran Church, 11:00 AM, with a visitation an hour prior and a meal and interment following the service.