Obituaries / LJWorld.com

Obituaries

Celebration of life service for Gerhart (Gary) Walter Hoffman of Lawrence, Ks., will be held at 2 p.m. February 16th at First United Methodist Church. Inurnment will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery.
Gary passed away on February 10th at Brandon Woods with his wife and five children present.
Gary was born April 15th, 1927, in Mitchell, South Dakota, to German immigrant parents Paul August Hoffman and Elsie Bachman Hoffman.
Gary graduated from Mitchell High School in 1945. He went on to play college football at both South Dakota State and Dakota Wesleyan University. He also attended the former Stout Institute of Industrial Arts in Menomonie, Wisconsin.
Gary married Joyce Turner on June 20, 1948 at First Methodist Church in Mitchell, South Dakota. To this union five children were born.
Gary was an active member of the Mitchell First United Methodist Church, Y’s Men’s club, which was a service organization of the YMCA, Order of Elks, Master Mason, and El Raid Shrine.
Gary moved his family to Lawrence, Ks., in 1963 to be affiliated with Norris Brothers Plumbing and Heating as a Commercial Mechanical Estimator. He later worked for Huxtable Inc. in the same capacity. In 1969 he formed Mechanical Estimating Service Inc.,, which provided Mechanical data to commercial contractors throughout the Midwest. He retired in 1995.
Gary was an active member of the Lawrence First United Methodist Church, Breakfast Optimists, and the Building and Trade Commission of the city of Lawrence.
Throughout his life Gary enjoyed the outdoors. He loved to camp in the mountains, travel, garden, and especially pheasant hunting with his sons in South Dakota. Gary was also an avid KU sports fan. Gary was a wonderful husband and father who will be missed but never forgotten.
Survivors include his wife Joyce, daughter Becki Barnhart and friend Mark Eggold of Ottawa, Ks., sons Jeff Hoffman and wife Sarah, David Scot Hoffman and wife Donna, Craig Hoffman, and daughter Kim Krannawitter and husband Kevin, along with fourteen grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren.
The family will greet friends at 7 p.m. February 15th at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home.
Memorial contributions may be made to First United Methodist Church in care of the funeral home, 601 Indiana, Lawrence, KS 66044.
The family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to Brandon Woods employees for their excellent and loving care of our loved one.
Online condolences may be sent at www.rumsey-yost.com.