Monongalia County commissioners accept petition to remove executrix in Dolores May Hobatter estate, give named executrix 30 days to respond

At its April 9, 2025, meeting the Monongalia County Commission accepted a petition seeking removal of the named executrix in the estate of Dolores May Hobatter and voted to ask the named executrix to respond within 30 days.

The commission’s action directs county staff to send a certified letter to Marcela Hovatter — identified in the petition as the executrix — informing her of the petition and giving her 30 days to either resign or contest the filing. If no response is received within that period, the commission said it will address the petition at its next regularly scheduled public meeting.

Commission staff said notice of the petition was provided to all parties and that the estate file indicated the named executrix “may not object” to the removal. Rather than immediately referring the matter to a fiduciary commissioner, the staff recommendation adopted by the commission was to notify the named executrix and await a response, which the commission said could streamline the process.

A motion to approve the staff recommendation was moved and seconded and carried with the vote recorded as "aye" by the commissioners present. No specific roll-call tally by name was given in the public minutes.

The petition concerns the estate of Dolores May Hobatter; the petition names Marcela Hovatter as the executrix. The commission did not take any additional action at the meeting beyond authorizing the certified-letter notification and scheduling further consideration if the named executrix does not respond.

The matter remains pending and will return to a future public meeting if the named executrix does not indicate whether she will resign or contest the petition within the 30-day period specified by the commission.