Thomas John Hovorka Jr.

Hovorka, Thomas John Jr, age 84, of Zimmerman, passed away on January 13, 2024. He was a great man and kind to all that knew him. We called him "Miracle Man," thanks mostly to the heart transplant he got in 2003, exactly 21 years prior to his passing. We are grateful to God for every extra day that we had with him.

He was born in St. Paul to loving parents, Thomas Sr. and Florence, on December 19, 1939. Tom grew up in Shakopee, graduated from St. Mary's, but attended high school at the Southern School of Agriculture in Waseca. After a stint in the Navy, he got a job at the Green Giant Canning Co. (later Silgan) in Savage. He met Sharon at the Scott County Fair, and they married in 1967 and started their family, bringing them back to his hometown in 1974. After many happy years but a few health scares, Tom retired, then Tom and Sharon started a new chapter by building their dream home on Lake Fremont in Zimmerman in 1999. They loved having family and friends at the lake in the summer, and in the winter, they would travel, especially to warm, sunny places to get away from the Minnesota winters. After Sharon passed in 2019 and his Parkinson's made it harder to get around, he moved to Sterling Pointe Senior Living in Princeton. 

His life was filled with devotion to his family and a love of his and Sharon's life on the lake. 

He was preceded in death by his parents and his beloved wife Sharon. He will be deeply missed by his children, Carolyn (Brian) Fennell and Mark Hovorka; grandchildren, Mellina (Nick) Musta, Marie Hovorka, and Madelyn (Adam) Martin; great-children, Bentley, Anaya, Jaxson, and James Thomas Martin; sister Christine Olson; brother-in-law, Bud (Judy) Roy, nieces and nephews, Tom, Brenda, Katie and Connor; Uncle Jim (Karen) Swaningson; and other loving relatives and friends. 

Thank you to Sterling Pointe Senior Living for their support in his final years. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Parkinson's Foundation.

Funeral will be held at 1pm on March 9, 2024, with visitation one hour prior, at Christ Our Light Church, 804 7th Ave S, Princeton, MN 55371.