Harold Hoffman

Harold D. Hoffman, 91, a resident of Bettendorf, Iowa died on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at the Illini Restorative Care Center in Silvis, Illinois.

A service to celebrate his life will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Saturday, June 16, 2012 at Asbury United Methodist Church of Bettendorf, Iowa where he was a faithful member and former Sunday School Teacher.  He will be laid to rest at Elmwood Cemetery in DeWitt, Iowa.  Visitation will be from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. on Friday at the McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home of Bettendorf.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Asbury United Methodist Church, the Wycliffe Bible Translators, or Genesis Hospice.

He was born in Walnut, Illinois on April 29, 1921, the beloved son of Daniel Henry & Nora Ella (Freie) Hoffman.  He graduated from Walnut Community High School as Valedictorian, class of 1939.  Harold earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech and Psychology at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois and received his Master of Divinity degree from the Evangelical Theological Seminary, also in Naperville, Illinois. He also did post-graduate work at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, and the State University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa.

On June 28, 1957, he was united in marriage to Mary Winifred Hahn in Davenport, Iowa.  She preceded him in death on July 15, 2005.

Harold was employed at the Rock Island Arsenal as a Supervisory Management Analyst with Headquarters U.S. Army Armament Munitions & Chemical Command.  He retired in 1985 after 32 years of civilian Federal service.  He was a life member of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE).

His other church service included membership on the United Methodist Iowa Conference Hunger Task Force and chair of the local Global Ministries Commission. He was also active in Wycliffe Bible Translators. In addition to his church, he was a 50-year member of Hamilton Masonic Lodge #664 of Bettendorf, Iowa where he was an Officer and Past-Master.  He was also a member of the Masonic High Twelve International Club #47 of Davenport, Iowa.  An Amateur “Ham” Radio enthusiast, he was a life member of The American Radio Relay League. Among his many varied hobbies, he was interested in religious studies, genealogy, literature, music, fishing, sports, and documentary television.  He loved his children and their families and took great pride in their accomplishments.

Those left to honor his memory include his daughters, Eloise (Pat Rheinhold) Hoffman of Dallas, TX, Marjorie (Garry) Heinze of Morton, IL, and Carole Hahn of Bettendorf, IA; his sons, Philip (Phyllis) Hoffman of Las Vegas, NV and Marc (Cecelia) Hoffman of San Antonio, TX; his step-daughter, Marianne (Craig) Hute of Ridgway, CO and his step-son, Jeffery Dean of Silvis, IL.

Other immediate relatives include his granddaughters, Laura (Sean) Murphy of San Francisco, CA, Lisa (Al) Lowrie of Richardson, TX, Mia Hoffman of Las Vegas, NV, Neva (Nick) Sable of Las Vegas, NV,  Heather Dean of Camanche, IA, and Elena Hoffman of San Antonio, TX; his grandsons, Dan Hoffman, Oakland, CA, Aaron (Popi) Hute of Thornton, CO, Shawn (Andrea) Dean of Bettendorf, IA, Brandon (Samantha) Dean of Clinton, IA, Ben Heinze of Morton, IL, Alan Boswell of Nairobi, Kenya, John Boswell of Macomb, IL, and Mark Boswell of Aledo, IL.

Great-grandchildren include his great-granddaughters, Natalie Sable of Las Vegas, NV, Lauren Hute of Thornton, CO, and Mackenzie Dean of Bettendorf, IA; his great-grandsons, Declan Murphy of San Francisco, CA, Rowan Murphy of San Francisco, CA, Joshua Lowrie of Richardson, TX, Zachary Lowrie of Richardson, TX, Jacob Sable of Las Vegas, NV, Tyler Hute of Thornton, CO, and Christian Dean of Bettendorf, IA.

He also leaves his sister, Marietta Lambrecht of West Allis, WI; his daughter-in-law, Merrianne Hoffman of Pacific City, OR; and many other relatives and wonderful friends.

In addition to his wife, Harold was preceded in death by his son, John Henry Hoffman.