Hoffmann, James
HOFFMANN, James
James Robert Hoffmann went gently home to his Lord Jesus Christ on July 13, 2021 at the age of 93. His beloved wife Judy welcomed him back into her arms. The last two months of Jim's life were spent with family and friends telling stories, loving, and laughing with him.
Jim "Jimmy" was a small town boy from Rosendale, Wisconsin with big dreams. The oldest of five, he was fascinated by airplanes during the Golden Age of Aviation. In 1945 at the age of 17, he was accepted into the V-5 Naval Aviation Cadet program, otherwise known as the Flying Midshipmen. Two years later he won his coveted Wings of Gold, achieving his boyhood dreams of becoming a Naval Aviator.
While still in flight training, Jim met the love of his life, Judy (Julia) Gibson, at a church picnic on Pensacola Beach. In 1951 they were married, the beginning of a beautiful 62 year union of kindred souls. They were blessed with three loving daughters.
Jim continued his Navy career as an aviator during the Korean War aboard the USS Mindoro, an escort carrier, serving in the 6th Fleet with Mediterranean missions in 1950 and 1954. After three years of sea duty, Jim and Judy decided it was time to leave active duty for the reserves. They moved to Gainesville, Florida where Jim attended the University of Florida and joined the Naval Air Reserve at NAS Jacksonville, Florida. He retained his reserve status from September 1954 to May 1970. His last assignment was Commanding Officer of a Maritime Patrol Squadron, flying out of NAS New York. Jim retired from the Naval Air Reserve with the rank of Commander.
After graduating from the University of Florida, Jim went to work for IBM in 1957. This was during the days of punched cards, at the very start of the computer era. Jim's career spanned sales, marketing, and application development. The family lived in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, and Minnesota, finally settling in Atlanta. He retired from IBM in 1988 after 31 years. Jim and Judy valued their church communities in all of the places they lived, but it was at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church that they found their spiritual home. They served for 40 years in many capacities both together and individually, including Jim as Senior Warden. They were so loved by their church and larger community because of their genuine desire to engage people, develop loving relationships and explore the wonder of God's love. Jim was predeceased by his beloved Judy in 2013, his parents, Marcella Bluemke and William Hoffmann, a brother William Hoffmann, and a sister Joanne Hoffmann.
He is survived by three daughters, Janice (Richard) Cochrane, Clayton, GA; Jill (Theron) Williams, St. Augustine Beach, FL; Joy (David) White, Sandy Springs, GA; grandson Spencer (Caroline) White and great-granddaughter Quinn White, Sunnyvale, CA; granddaughter Julia White, Savannah, GA; grandson Paul (Mikayla) White, Fort Drum, NY. Jim is also survived by a brother Mike (Sydney) Hoffman, Langley, WA and a sister Penny Hinz, Arvada, CO. The celebration of Jim's life and his going home will be on Saturday, July 24, 10 AM, at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Malachi's Storehouse at St. Patrick's Episcopal Church by going to https://giving.ncsservices.org.
