Mr. Henry LeRoy (Roy) Hoffman

      When Mr. Henry LeRoy (Roy) Hoffman walked into the room, those in his company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Roy was and how he impacted those around him. Roy was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Roy wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Roy was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve him well throughout his life.

       He was the son of Phillip and Katie Hoffman. Roy was raised in Oregon. Always at the ready with a good joke, he grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Roy might describe him as an idealist, his friends and family understood well that Roy was always in pursuit of life's endless possibilities and opportunities available to him.

       He had four siblings, Katherine, Violet, Peter, Dorothy. Roy was very accepting and supportive of his family. He was perceived as the central person in his family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Roy was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Roy well in his adult life and, along with his wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew him.

      During his high school years, Roy responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. He graduated from Mt. Angel Prep in 1953. Roy was a very good student, and generally did well in his courses. Roy absorbed as much as he could from all of his teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using his imagination to master his assignments. For Roy, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to his ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Roy a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to him to discuss just about anything.

      On May 4, 1957 Roy married Phyllis at St. Luke's Catholic church of Woodburn, Oregon. Roy's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in his ability to make his new family happy. He was quite sensitive towards Phyllis's needs, showing his constant concern and fondness. Roy was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served him well in helping to nurture his family.

      Roy was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide his family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Roy, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of his life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Hoffman home. Roy's skill at understanding his children's feelings, his sensitivity to their needs, and his gift for gentle persuasion enabled him to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Roy was blessed with four children, David, Trisha, Mary and Andrew. They were also blessed with Seven grandchildren, Jordane, Megan, Tony, Cody, Tim, Lilly and Anna.

      Roy was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life's possibilities, traits that made him an exceptional worker. His primary occupation was Grocery Manager. Roy was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize him. Roy had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of his gift for insight. Roy's fellow workers saw him as a supporter and a mentor.

      Roy was an Army veteran. He was in the Army serving from1954 to 1956 in Germany. His fellow soldiers could count on him for being able to make adjustments to any situation as needed.

      Because Roy loved to have a broad variety of activities in his life, he took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. His favorite pursuits were fishing, boating, music, gardening and farming. Roy had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of his favorite pastimes. However, Roy's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

      Roy derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. His charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. Roy was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching his favorite events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were Pro basketball.

      Roy Hoffman passed away on August 25, 2008 at the VA Medical Center, Portland, OR. He is survived by his children, David, Trisha, Mary, Andrew along with his grandchildren Jordane, Megan,Tony,Cody,Tim,Lilly, and Anna. Services were held at Willamette National Cemetery.

      There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Roy. He was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. He had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While he was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Roy Hoffman for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Roy was always more than willing to share life's experiences with his loved ones.