Paul F. Hoffer

Paul F. Hoffer, age 97, passed away at the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) in Gulfport, MS on July 18, 2018, with his wife Georgia at his side. Mr. Hoffer had been ill briefly before his passing. Paul was born in Waterloo, IA to Albert Hoffer and Susan Nuebel Hoffer. His mother died when he was three months old and he had a sister who died before he was born. Paul was raised by his father and step-mother, Gertrude Goetz Hoffer. He was close to his four half-siblings, Ed, Ruth, John, and Bob, who all preceded him in death. Paul graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Waterloo, IA in 1939. He served in the Marine Corps during WWII in the Pacific Ocean Theater. He met his wife, Agnes Borkowski, of Pittsfield, MA while in the Marine Corps, and they married in June 1945. Paul returned to Waterloo and to his job with the Illinois Central Railroad. He was an engineer in Waterloo and then in 1972, moved to Hattiesburg, MS, to work as a traveling engineer for the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad, retiring in 1981, after 40 years. Agnes died in 2002 and Paul married Georgia Loss of Springfield, Mo, in January 2008, at the age of 86. Paul and Agnes raised seven children, all of whom survive him: Mary (James) Monroe of Pickering, ON, Canada; Paulette Ziegfeld of Rocky River, OH; Pat (Dan) Foster of Iowa City, IA; Michelle (Merlyn) Goodson of Walnut Grove, MO; Fran (James) Grigsby of Denham Springs, LA; Paul J. Hoffer of Hattiesburg, MS; and Michael Hoffer of Hattiesburg, MS. He is also survived by five grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; his step-son, Darrel (Mary) Lesh; and Georgia’s family. Paul was active in Knights of Columbus, the VFW, the American Legion, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Until recently he worked four hours a week in the Lord’s Cabin at the AFRH. A funeral mass will be held in the chapel of the AFRH at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, July 23, 2018. Friends may visit 30 minutes prior to service. Interment will follow at Biloxi National Cemetery. Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home, 15th Street, Gulfport is in charge of arrangements.