Howard "Howie" Hoffman

Howie, as everyone called him, led an amazing life. He had a story for every occasion, often ending with how he escaped death, which made it especially hard to accept that this time would not be another story. He amazed his friends and family with his ability to remember intricate details decades later. He proudly served in the Korean war and often told stories about his time training in Georgia as well as his time in Korea.

Making friends came easily to Howie, and once you were his friend he always remembered you and you were featured in his stories. His life was like a smart Forest Gump, witness to the evolution of New York from a TV less household streaming everything on a big screen TV. He learned to use a computer and a smartphone in his 80s. He felt if you weren’t moving forward, you were moving backwards. He was part of a rare breed from the greatest generation that found a way to get everything done.

He was a businessman since he was a young child growing up in Brooklyn, working for his dad’s fruit business and peddling fruit on the streets of Brooklyn. He developed a tremendous enjoyment of all fruit and loved finding the rare fruit that he never tried before. When he wasn’t working, he enjoyed all sports. Handball was one of his favorite activities. He was a great player, the best in his Brooklyn neighborhood growing up. He often traveled around Brooklyn to play handball against other teams, usually for money. He continued to play until covid hit.

He was married to Roberta for 63 years, until her passing in 2020. Together they enjoyed traveling to different countries and places, and sampling local cuisine. After she passed, he learned how to cook and often made his favorite foods to share. He was a devoted father and is survived by his three children and their spouses: Shari Hoffman and her husband Glenn Simsek, Bonnie and her husband Rob Retrum, and Philip and his wife Beth Hoffman. He was a doting grandfather and enjoyed spoiling all his grandchildren Jessica, Ilyssa, Michael, Ari, Emma and Hayden.

Howie learned dry cleaning shortly after he was married and was an inventor of Suede Magic. Despite lacking a chemical background, his partner Jerry Naparstek and he traveled the world selling a remarkable product until he ultimately sold the company and went full time into dry cleaning. He became known as the Happy Cleanerman in Brooklyn for many years, until he moved his cleaning business to Garden City. He never stopped working. He did not believe in retirement.

His kids, their spouses, grandchildren and friends will forever miss him and keep him in their hearts, just wishing to hear one more story about how he escaped death.

A funeral service for Howie will be held Monday, November 4, 2024 from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM at Sinai Chapels, 114-03 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Following the funeral service will be a committal service from 2:45 PM to 3:30 PM at Mount Hebron Cemetery, 130-04 Horace Harding Expy, New York, NY 11367.