Esther A. Hofmeister

April 11, 2014. Beloved wife of the late Patrick E. Horrigan and late Henry J. Hofmeister. Loving mother of Shannon

Buckheit. Stepmother of Robert Hofmeister and the late Richard Hofmeister. Dear grandmother of Patrick H.

(Kathleen) Buckheit. Friends may call Tuesday from 4-7 PM at the WOOD FUNERAL HOME, 784 Main St., E.

Aurora. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Wednesday at 10 AM at St. Joseph’s Church, 46 N. Main St., Holland.

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, 101 John James Audubon Pkwy., Amherst, NY

or the Alzheimer’s Association, 2805 Wehrle Dr., Buffalo, NY 14221.

Esther Horrigan-Hofmeister a long time resident of both Lakeview, NY and later Holland, NY passed away quietly at home, with family on April 12, 2014 in Ft Lauderdale, FL.

Born in Lackawanna, NY, Esther the daughter of the late Joseph and Rena Eagan and sister of the late John W Eagan was a vibrant young woman who was active in her community and enjoyed the love of an extended family.

She was a great dancer, loved to sing, played the piano and was proud of her Irish heritage learning folk songs and ballads that she freely offered.

Esther married Patrick E. Horrigan during World War II and lived in California and Washington DC following her husband as is served in the Navy Medical Corp. during and after the War. While living in the San Francisco area she attended Berkley taking courses in Interior Decorating and English.

When the couple returned to WNY and settled in Lakeview, she entered the real estate profession selling residential and commercial property in the south towns. Her original firm of Ralph J Dearing led Esther to work with Hunt Real Estate and MJ Petersen, a career spanning 50 plus years. Entering the profession in the 1950's , she was a trailblazer, ahead of her time for women entering business.

She was active in Hamburg Antique Study Group as a young woman and had a passion for research of antiques. This passion was represented in her personal collection of reference books and antiques themselves. She enjoyed being able to tell anyone interested the origin of an item that she had knowledge of.

Esther was also active in parish activities at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Lakeview supporting fund raising for the elementary school by organizing flea markets and and working with the Catholic Youth Organization, (CYO) as an advisor.

Known to many in the WNY community for her interest in the supernatural, astrology and psychic, she remained acutely interested in the area of the para normal throughout her life.

After the sudden death of her husband Patrick in 1983, she eventually remarried.

Marrying Henry Hofmeister, she moved to Holland, NY where she resided," on her hill" enjoying

rural life and all that the beauty of the seasons had to offer. She loved the deer ind they her as they peered into her bedroom window and were known by name.

Esther and Hank split their time between Holland and Palm Beach, FL.

The couple were avid "cruisers", Esther enjoying participating the entertainment activities and gambling!

They traveled extensively and she was the collector of a life in photographs of those travels, a legacy!

Esther and Hank studied Spanish as Senior Citizens and she prided herself in being able to greet anyone in their native language, almost...

Esther was a strong supporter of the American Cancer Society. She was a 6 time survivor of Cancer.

She was an advocate for early detection and screening and often credited it for her survival.

After the death of her husband, Hank, in 2011,she suffered poor health and moved to Florida permanently to be

near her daughter Shannon R Buckheit.

Loving the beach community and watching the changes in the Ocean was her joy!

She never met a stranger, talked to all who would engage in a conversation and had a marvelous spirit

never admitting she was ill she carried on. She is survived by her daughter Shannon Buckheit of Ft Lauderdale, FL and grandson Patrick Buckheit and wife Kathleen of Boca Raton, FL , step son Robert Hofmeister of

Colden, NY.

Esther and Henry Hofmeister will be reunited as they will be joined together in a shared burial in her beloved hills in Holland, NY in Protection Cemetery on 4/23/14.

Survived by her daughter Shannon R Horrigan Buckheit and Grandson and his wife, Patrick H and Kathleen Buckheit