Joseph J. Hoffman

Joseph J. "Joe" Hoffman, 89, Browns Valley, MN, died Saturday, September 26, 2009, at the Rosholt Care Center.

Funeral services were Thursday, October 1, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Browns Valley with Father Joe Vandeberg officiating.  Music was provided by organist Norma Jung and vocalist Todd Johnson.

Burial was in the St. Anthony's Catholic Cemetery, Browns Valley.  Pallbearers were Joe's grandsons, Eric Hoffman, Jared Holmes, Nick Holmes, Jeremy Hoffman, Dan Hoffman, Jason Hoffman, and Mike Hoffman.

Visitation was Wednesday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. followed by a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. at St. Anthony's Catholic Church.

Joseph John was born May 30, 1920, in Roberts County, near Rosholt, SD, to Frank and Katherine (Egleseder) Hoffman.  He and his twin sister were the last born of seven children.  He lived with his family in the Rosholt area until moving to the Browns Valley area in 1938.  He was united in marriage with Mary Wika on September 27, 1944, in Browns Valley.  From this union, they were blessed with six children.  They resided on the farm until 1969 when they moved into Browns Valley.

During Joe's work years, he did a variety of jobs.  He started out farming, but ended with his favorite job as a field man at the Big Stone Cheese Factory.  In the interim, Joe was also a Folsom County Assessor, in addition to working at the Browns Valley Creamery and owning his own bulk truck.  After retirement, he worked part time maintaining the Traverse County Park along with Valley View Cemetery.

Joe was also an active church and community member.  He was active in the Knights of Columbus, served on the school board for twelve years and served on the Browns Valley City Council for numerous years.

In addition to all of the activities involved in raising a family and his community interests, Joe and Mary loved to dance.  They were in several square dance clubs and were frequently seen dancing at the Coliseum.  Joe was also very dedicated to his fishing, and spent many hours on the area lakes.

One of Joe's greatest joys in life was spending time with family.  He especially loved kids, and always looked forward to spending time with his nine grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.  He also enjoyed playing cards, bingo, and watching his favorite teams, the Twins and the Packers.

Survivors include his wife, Mary of Browns Valley; five children, Francis (Joan) Hoffman of Payson, AZ, Richard (Colleen) Hoffman of Florence, MT, Janet Holmes of Omaha, NE, Jack Hoffman of San Diego, CA, and Jolien (Tom) Glockner of Florence, MT; nine grandchildren, Eric (Lynn) Hoffman of Stillwater, MN, Nicole (Greg) Karan of Newport, MN, Jeremy Hoffman of Phoenix, Jared (Sara) Holmes of Denver, Shannon (Chuck) Hoskovec of Everett, WA, Nick Holmes of Fort Worth, TX, Jason Hoffman of Missoula, MT, Dan (Leah) Hoffman of Florence, MT, and Mike Hoffman of Missoula; and nine great-grandchildren, Allie, Cooper, Ethan, Rylan, Lauren, Emerson, Olive, Jason, and Courtney.

Joe was preceded in death by a son, Thomas; sisters, Elizabeth Hokanson, Agnes Homan, and Josephine Judish; and brothers, George Hoffman, Henry Hoffman, and Ed Hoffman.