Memorials › George Lewis Hoffman
George Lewis Hoffman
29 Oct 1920 – 3 Dec 2015
| Birth | 29 Oct 1920 |
| Death | 3 Dec 2015 |
| Cemetery | Dallas Cemetery Dallas , Polk County , Oregon , USA |
| Added by | Denis Lee Thiessen on 10 Jul 2022 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/153167132 |
Bio
George Lewis Hoffman, age 95, went to be with the Lord on December 3, 2015. He was born on October 29, 1920 to Annie and Isaac Hoffman in Munich, North Dakota. He was the eldest of seven children, and even as a boy had an affinity for farming. Each spring he would take three weeks off school to assist his dad to put in the crops. The family survived the swirling dust storms and withering drought of the Depression, including two summers when armies of locusts defoliated the crops and another when mosquito-borne illness decimated the horses. At age 18 he got what he considered a good paying job—driving school bus for $40 a month. That first bus was pulled by horses. During that year he also became a Christian, surrendering his life to Christ at a revival meeting. Soon after, he began to discern a call to enter the ministry. From 1939-1940, George attended Northwest Bible School in Minneapolis. When he returned home for Christmas in 1940 he met Ella Minder of Onida, South Dakota. Those two hit it off, fell in love, and got married on June 20, 1943. Over the next 18 years George and Ella farmed up to 80 acres, ministered to four different churches, and raised seven children. He was pastor of two churches, Bethel Mennonite of Langdon, North Dakota, and Gray Community Church, simultaneously from 1946 to 1955. From 1955-56 he served as interim pastor at his home church, Salem Mennonite of Munich, North Dakota. And in October, 1956, the family moved to Butterfield, Minnesota, where he was pastor of First Mennonite Church until 1960. In 1960, George and family, now numbering eight, squeezed into a Ford sedan and launched themselves west to Oregon, tiny trailer in tow. There, Ella gave birth to their seventh child and the couple farmed together while George pursued fulltime work as a truck driver, cannery worker, health care worker, and then groundskeeper. He retired from his position at Oregon State Hospital in 1982, but by then he was greatly needed at home by Ella, who had come down with Parkinson's disease. Throughout, George and Ella were faithful members of Grace Mennonite Church of Dallas (later Grace Community Church), where he served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher, and where both Ella and George shared their gifts for music with the church and gave their time in a variety of other capacities. After retirement, George continued to support and care for Ella in the family home, ultimately becoming her primary caregiver, until her passing in 1995. These were difficult years but George never complained and always was there for Ella right up to her last day. Meanwhile, and since, he volunteered his time at Grace Community Church, with the Gideon Society, and with H20 of Dallas. For many years he enjoyed a weekly golf game and daily morning coffee at McDonalds with long time buddies. He sold his beloved farm and moved to Dallas Retirement Village in 2006. At DRV he sang regularly with a quartet and played harmonica at jam sessions. He attended exercise classes, learned woodcarving, painted, worshiped at chapel services, and, true to his agricultural roots, grew buckets of tomatoes, most of which he gave away. And he continued to volunteer, being honored as a DRV Volunteer of the year in 2010. Ever committed to service, George was still volunteering right up until one week before he died. George cherished and was in turn cherished by his siblings, children, grandkids, great grandkids, and many friends. He will be remembered as a wise, kind, and generous man; as a man who put other people before himself and as one who sought to serve the Lord faithfully. His Bible was well used, filled with marked scripture passages and inspirational notes. One of the notes, a paraphrase from Psalm 23, perhaps sums up his life and faith in a nutshell: As you continue to follow along life's highway, don't forget to glance over your shoulder. Goodness and mercy are following. George is survived by his siblings: Joyce (Ray) Friesen, Carolyn (Jim) Wall, DeWayne (Sandra) Hoffman, and Ila (Don) Stoneburner. Also six sons: Dale (Pat) Hoffman, Bob (Angel Nawrot) Hoffman, Jerry (Ruth) Hoffman, Tim (Jill) Hoffman, Mark (Romy) Hoffman, and Greg (Karla) Hoffman—and son-in-law David (Donna) Dougall. He leaves behind 18 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren, numerous nephews and nieces, and many friends. He was preceded in death by his wife Ella, parents Isaac and Annie Hoffman, daughter, Donna Dougall, and by two of his brothers, Donald Hoffman and Archie Hoffman. Memorial contributions in George's memory may be given to the Union Gospel Mission, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, or Dallas Retirement Village Foundation. Viewing-December 12, 10 AM-11 AM at Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center Private family interment-December 12, 12 Noon, Dallas Cemetery - Celebration of Faithfulness-December 12, 2 PM, Dallas Retirement Village Chapel. From the Dallas Mortuary Tribute Center of Dallas, Oregon website.
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