Joan Hoffman

Joan Hoffman, 70, of Newport, MN, peacefully passed at home on Saturday, April 3, 2021.

Funeral services will be on Friday, April 9, at 11:00 a.m. at Church of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Graceville with Father Brian Oestreich officiating.

The funeral service will be livestreamed on the Eggers Funeral Home Facebook page. The livestream will begin approximately 10:50 a.m. There will be a eulogy before the service. There is no link. The video will just appear.

Burial will be at St. Mary Cemetery, Beardsley, MN.  Pallbearers will be Tom Maher, Mike Maher, Derek Maher, Cooper Karan, Ron Kadera, and Dustin Hartman.

Joan Maher was born on April 13, 1950, in Graceville, MN, to James and Margaret (Lais) Maher.  Joan was one of 11 children.  Joan met Fran Hoffman through his cousin Linda at a gathering at Linda's home.  They were united in marriage on June 13, 1970, at the St. Mary's Catholic Church in Beardsley, MN.  From this union, they were blessed with two children.  They remained soul mates and best friends until her death.

After raising her children for their early years, she was accepted and graduated from St. Kate's in St. Paul, MN.  Joan loved her time at Woodland Elementary (Eagan, MN) teaching Kindergarten.  She spoke nightly about her little charges, and her deep compassion to create a lifelong love of learning in these kids.  Many parents today still are glad Mrs. Hoffman was their child's introduction to education.

When not busy raising her family and working, she loved to hike and vacation in the mountains.  Highlights were many on long car trips around the country!   Her children continue the tradition with their families, passing along the love of the panoramic scenery and animals of the Rockies and later, the dry landscapes and critters of Arizona.

She was also crafty; making macramé and loop work that are still shown with pride in family households.  In her later years, she focused on Christmas ornaments creating unique items per year as family collectibles.  She dove into tracing the family history and became the go-to historian going back far into the old country.  Joan enjoyed having her grandchildren around, attending church, school, and sporting events and was quick to ask about their highlights in games. She even adopted texting and social media to keep an eye on those grandchildren!

Survivors include her husband, Fran Hoffman of Newport, MN; two children, Eric (Lynn) Hoffman of Stillwater, MN, and Nicole Karan of Newport, MN; five grandchildren, Allie, Cooper, Ethan, Rylan and Lauren; brothers, Tom (Lori) Maher of Beardsley, MN, and Mike (Debbie) Maher of Clinton, MN; and sisters, Jean Maher (Robley Corsi) of Sun City, AZ, Marice Lane of Brainerd, MN, and Kate Maher (Ron Kadera) of White Bear Lake, MN.

Joan was preceded in death by her parents, James and Margaret Maher; sisters, Marlene, Karen, Colleen; and brothers, James and Denny.