John Hofman Jr. died March 1, just a few weeks before his 93rd birthday. He was a passionate preacher and devoted to the Lord.
After high school in Grand Rapids, Mich., Hofman studied social work at the University of Michigan. He then transferred to and graduated from Calvin Seminary and was ordained in 1962.
Hofman pastored the Protestant Reformed Church of Lynden, Wash., and Manhattan (Mont.) CRC before serving as missionary in Guam for two years. He went on to pastor the following congregations: East Leonard CRC, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Fort Wingate (N.M.) CRC; Bethel CRC, Lynden, Wash.; Ridgeview Hills, Littleton, Col.; Elim in the Desert CRC, Tucson, Ariz; Highland Hills, Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Faith Community Church, Zillah, Wash.
When living in Arizona, the Hofmans fell in love with the desert and retired in Green Valley, Ariz., in 1996. During retirement years he took interim pastorates in Nova Scotia, Montana, and Idaho.
Hofman was a fun-loving character with a ready smile, a joker who liked to tease others. Anyone who knew him will remember his antics and the little songs he liked to sing. He loved the outdoors, was a great horseman for many years, and excelled at tennis. He liked riding dirt bikes and, later in retirement, his scooter.
He is survived by Dorothy, his loving ‘bride’ as he would always call her; five children and their spouses; 17 grandchildren; 26 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.
About the Author
A former nurse and chaplain, Janet Greidanus is a freelance news correspondent and long-time writer of the In Memoriam column for The Banner.
