Daniel J. Bove | Builder, 85

Daniel Joseph Bove, 85, of Newtown Square, a builder in Delaware County for more than 50 years, died of pulmonary fibrosis yesterday at home.

Mr. Bove was valedictorian of his class at Darby High School in 1941.

During World War II, he was a welder in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Later, he was employed by Daman & Foster, a surveying company in Delaware County, and became a crew chief. In 1955 he established Bovan Realty & Construction Co., in Media.

The firm, now Bovan Land Development in Norwood, has built numerous homes in Delaware and Chester Counties and constructed and managed apartment complexes and office buildings in Delaware County. Until last year, Mr. Bove was active in the business, which is now operated by his son Daniel Jr.

Mr. Bove was a member of Overbrook Golf Club in Villanova for 40 years and played golf all over the world.

Family was the center of his life, his children said, and Sunday dinners were cherished. He was a great storyteller and had a gift for making everyone laugh and feel special, they said.

In addition to his son, Mr. Bove is survived by daughters Diane Bizzarro, Leslie Dunn, Carolyn Lynch and Elise Nehring; 17 grandchildren; and his companion, Mary Ellen Pruett. His wife of 45 years, Elise Brandt Bove, died in 1998.

A Funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. tomorrow at St. John Neumann Roman Catholic Church, 330 Highland Ave., Bryn Mawr. Friends may call at 9:15 a.m. Burial will be Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon.