Patricia Alice Hoffman

“Pat” was born in El Centro, CA, on September 3, 1937, to Marie and Charles Valusek. She moved with her parents and two sisters - Joan and Mary - to Anaheim, CA, where they lived on a beautiful property filled with flowers, bees, and avocado trees. Pat remained close with her sisters her entire life. Pat met her future husband Joseph (“Joe”) Hoffman at his father’s shoe store in Anaheim. They married in 1962 and they remained devoted to one another the remainder of Pat’s life – an amazing 62 years of marriage. Joe was at her bedside when she passed.

Pat earned her bachelor’s degree in education at the California State University, Long Beach. Always a full-time mama and homemaker, Pat was also employed as a substitute teacher and eventually returned to full time teaching in Corona, CA at Home Gardens Elementary School. She was a devoted teacher to her little 2nd and 3rd graders, often sharing humorous stories about them. She loved what she did and had a great impact on many. She had the right temperament for the job – kind, caring, smart, empathetic, and patient.

Pat and Joe raised their five children in Orange, CA. All five - Valerie, David, Suzanne, Matthew, and Steven – adored their beautiful mom and her sweet smile. Her proudest achievement was to have raised “five amazing human beings.” The family of seven loved a good adventure and often packed themselves into a small camper for road trips around the American West and deep into the remote woods of Utah. As her kids grew and married, Pat found tremendous joy in her ever-expanding brood of grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Sean, Ben, Alyssa, Austin, Kyle, Caleb, Samantha, Koe, Rose, Hailey, Cole, Eli, Adela, Curtiss, Abigail, Daniel, Magnolia, Livvy, and Elliot (and there are more on the way). She is also survived by her her daughters-in-law Lorraine, Laurie, and Ellen, and son-in-law Rich, each of whom she loved as her own. Family was everything for Pat. Her bedrock and great joy.

Pat somehow managed to carve out some “free time” for creative hobbies despite the demands of mothering, homemaking, and teaching. She especially loved a good antique store or flea market hunt, hand-crafting intricate kiln-fired ceramic dolls, flower gardening, home decorating, and digging into a seemingly never-ending supply of home improvement projects (which typically involved a new shade of wallpaper or paint). She loved exchanging letters and had “pen pals” across the country. She hardly ever missed an opportunity to send birthday or holiday cards to her loved ones. In retirement, she liked to stay busy and loved to have projects, always working on something. Pat and Joe continued to take road trips to scenic spots or to visit with family and friends, although by now they ditched the camper and hitched up a good-sized trailer. She and Joe especially enjoyed spending time with David and Matt’s families, who lived nearby, traveling to see Valerie and Sues’ families in Northern California, Nevada, and Washington state, or trips to see Steve and his family in Washington, DC, Chicago, IL, and Buffalo, NY.

Pat will be remembered for her loving devotion to her family, her tremendous warmth, grace, and dignity, as well as a beautiful smile that always came just in time. She was a devoted life-long Catholic and loved and entrusted her life to the Lord Jesus. Pat will be honored at a funeral mass 11:00 AM PST, Saturday, February 10th, 2024, at St. John Paul II Polish Center, Yorba Linda, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Patricia's honor to St. John Paul II Polish Center 3999 Rose Dr, Yorba Linda, CA. or Samaritan's Purse 4200 Bonita Pl, Fullerton, CA 92835.