Anne Elizabeth Lawver Hoffman

Anne Elizabeth Lawver Hoffman, age 91, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home in San Diego, California on January 8, 2026, with her beloved dog Myles faithfully at her side.

Born on April 1, 1934—which was also Easter Sunday—at St. Mary’s Hospital in Long Beach, California, Anne was the daughter of Catherine “Kitty” Elizabeth O’Brien Lawver and CAPT Rowland “Chick” Clifford Lawver, USN (Ret.). Born into the Navy and later married into it, Anne embraced a life of service and adaptability with grace and a sense of humor. One of the Lawver family’s many moves was in 1946 to pre-Communist China. There, Anne and her brother Phil— who is younger by two years— had many adventures which would become cherished family stories, often told around the dinner table. For one Girl Scout campout, Anne and her fellow scouts were carried up a mountain in sedan chairs and at times, had barely a patch of dirt under their chairs between them and the valley floor far below!

On October 24, 1953, she married the love of her life, CAPT Robert “Bob” Bernard Hoffman, USN (Ret.), at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Westwood, New Jersey. Together they shared nearly 65 years of marriage, raising six daughters while navigating frequent Navy moves. Until Bob’s retirement from the Navy in 1982, Anne never lived anywhere longer than two years and eleven months—yet she made every place home, filled with laughter and love.

Anne is survived by her brother Philip “Phil” Lawver; her daughters LtCol Cecilia “Cele” Hoffman Eifert, USAF (Ret.) (Ron), Carolyn “Cari” Hoffman (Bob Steininger), Constance “Connie” Hoffman Stoyakovich (David), Claire Hoffman (Sean Souney), and Christiane “Chris” Hoffman Frank (Greg); her son-in-law Glen Nienhuis; her grandchildren Matthew Stoyakovich, Robert Joseph “Joey” Steininger III, PhD (Marian Danielle “Dani” McRaney Steininger, MD), Philip Steininger (Zoe Yang, PhD), Steven Stoyakovich, Elizabeth “Lisa” Hoffman (Cari & Bob's youngest), Carl Eifert, Robert Eifert (Hannah Higgins Eifert), and James Nienhuis; great-granddaughters Elizabeth Quinn Steininger and Rosalynn Mira Steininger; fifteen nieces and nephews; treasured friends Patty Payne, Sue Hamel, Wanda Radziewics, Suzanne Hanley, and Bernadette Randolph Baylor; and her devoted canine companion, Myles.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Bob, in 2018; her parents Kitty in 2001 & Chick in 2002; and her daughter, LCDR Catherine “Cathy” Hoffman Nienhuis, USN, in 1996 due to a service-related illness. Anne was predeceased by her brothers-in-law, CAPT Richard “Dick” Hoffman, USN (Ret.), and Tom Hoffman; her sisters-in-law, Mary Anne Hoffman, Carolyn Lawver, Mary Lou Hoffman, Myra Hoffman, and Dorothy Hoffman; her nephews, Greg Hoffman, Doug Hoffman, and Roger Hoffman, her dear friend Betsy Noyes, as well as several beloved family pets including Ziggy, Charlie Easter, Puff, Peaches, Blacquie, and Diva.

Anne graduated with honors from Westwood High School in Westwood, New Jersey in 1952 and attended the University of Connecticut, majoring in chemistry, before earning her ‘MRS degree’ with Bob in the fall of 1953. While her short professional career came later—working as a bookkeeper—one of her greatest achievements was launching six strong, bright, accomplished daughters into the world. All graduated college; two became military officers; one was a public high school teacher for 40 years; one a Peace Corps volunteer and Registered Nurse; one a bookkeeper and international baseball scorer; and one a human resources professional. All are active volunteers in their respective communities, following the example Anne and Bob set.

When the family lived in Huntington Beach, California, Anne took classes at Orange Coast College and worked for the 1970 US Census. In Arlington, Virginia, when her identical twins, Cathy and Cari, were collegebound, Anne began working for McCarthy Company Builders. She would tell the story of starting as a temp, finding and reporting costly errors in the company’s books on her first day, then being offered a full-time role the very next day as proof of why you should always do your best and not be afraid to suggest improvements or point out issues. The move to San Diego saw Anne again working for construction companies, including Shapell Industries and Christiana Community Builders. It was during this time that Anne had the unique responsibility of naming some of the new streets in her neighborhood of Tierrasanta, following the parameters of the names having to be Spanish, nature-based, and not repeating any other street names in the City of San Diego. That was no small feat using paper maps two decades before online search engines were launched! If you live on Petirrojo (robin), Buho (owl), Calamar (squid), Cebada (barley), Vaca (cow), or Papagallo (parrot) streets, amongst others, you have Anne to thank!

A lifelong volunteer, Anne’s service began as a young Girl Scout and continued throughout her life. She was a Girl Scout troop leader in the 1960s and 70s in Key West, Florida and Huntington Beach, California. She taught after-school CCD classes (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine aka ‘Sunday School’) at Saints Simon & Jude Catholic Parish in Huntington Beach and Holy Name of Mary Parish in San Dimas, California. At Ascension Catholic Parish in San Diego, Anne was a lector and co-led the pro-life ministry. Anne always valued the sanctity of life, but that belief crystallized when she was pregnant with her youngest in her mid-40s. Due to her advanced age, doctors urged her to terminate or else she would have a “retarded child” (their words). Anne knew her child had a right to live and that she would love her child no matter what. Not long after she and Bob settled in San Diego, Anne put those beliefs into practice and became a regular, weekly volunteer with Birthline of San Diego County helping families in need. She worked in their office, inventorying donated items, coordinating diaper and formula drives, and supporting their client families. Her service with Birthline was one of the great dedications of her life.

In 2008, Anne was instrumental in helping establish Tierrasanta Village of San Diego (TVSD) and was a charter member. She attended a conference in Boston on the Beacon Hill Village model for communities of adults aging well in their own homes. For TVSD, she served on the Care Committee for many years and was an active Bridge group organizer. She was among the first to resume gatherings during the pandemic, hosting Bridge in her backyard, complete with masks, gloves, and Lysol-wiped cards! She and her loyal Poodle-mix Myles also hosted 'Dog Pack' gatherings for TVSD members and their dogs. Anne was a regular participant with TVSD in the annual Tierrasanta Kiwanis Patriots Day Parade, entertaining the crowds in her custom-decorated scooter, which she also drove regularly—sometimes a little too fast!—to church and nearby shops. Anne counted many dear friends from her volunteer service and community activities, and the family is glad for their support in her golden years.

Anne was endlessly creative. A prolific knitter, she crafted baby sets for charity, afghans for family, sweaters and other apparel for herself—knitting most anywhere she went. In almost 20 years of being season ticket holders for the San Diego Chargers, Anne would knit at every game. She kept up with the action on the field while churning out blankets and sweaters. Flying between Australia and California post-9/11, to circumvent security regulations barring knitting needles, she cleverly devised a set out of two ballpoint pens and thin flexible tubing. While her youngest Chris was at St. Lucy's Priory High School, Anne put her creative talents to good use and crafted myriad ‘St. Lucy's Dolls’ as a school fundraiser. The fabric dolls were custom-made to look like individual students, complete with matching yarn hair, thread eye color and freckles, and fabric skin tone, as well as miniature uniforms and shoes. She had an artistic eye, an inventive spirit, and a deep joy in making things by hand. She also enjoyed golf, once earning women’s cochampion honors at Via Verde Country Club in San Dimas. She took flying lessons in Key West, Florida, and even accomplished a solo flight. Anne joined Curves women's gym in 2000 in Tierrasanta and was a consistent gym-goer for 12+ years. She credited this to helping her be active and agile to age 90. When daughter Claire got a cornhole set for the backyard while she lived with Mom (and taught high school from the dining room during the pandemic), Anne got into that, too! She would joke that she preferred to play from ‘the ladies tee’ when tossing the bean bags.

After going on a cruise for their 50th high school reunion with her dear friend Sue, Anne convinced Bob to try a cruise. He was very reluctant, having spent his career at sea. He thought it would be a “busman's holiday.” However, it took just one luxury cruise on the Holland America line to convince him. It was nothing like a Navy cruise! Bob was sold. They cruised all over the globe, including a month-long cruise from San Diego to Tahiti and back!

Anne's sense of humor was well-developed, and occasionally self-deprecating. Having been born on what was both April Fools Day and Easter, Anne often referred to herself as a "foolish bunny." With a tendency to run late, she set all her clocks ahead sometimes as much as 20 minutes, including in cars—much to the chagrin of her career Naval officer husband! The family called it 'Lucy Time' and likened her to Lucille Ball Arnaz of I Love Lucy. Anne was not known for her singing voice, which Chris felt added to the Lucy lore.

Anne enjoyed inserting funny and interesting newspaper articles and comics—"clippings"—in with her written correspondence. When email came around, her addresses were shortnana and technodunce, and she was far more likely to forward you a funny story than something sad and serious. Dark chocolate was her go-to treat, often enjoyed with a glass of the finest boxed wine mixed with ice cubes and cranberry juice. In her golden years, Anne liked to have #DessertFirst so she had room to enjoy her favorite sweets. As she got older and also shorter, her youngest Chris gave her a new moniker, #MyLittleMommy. Her height was like a bell curve, peaking at 5'2" and then gradually receding to 4'9".

Above all, Anne will be remembered for her faith, generosity, sense of humor, resilience, creativity, and unwavering devotion to her family.

The family is especially grateful to grandson Steven who provided immense support to Nana in her final years. When Covid forced him to leave Europe and it was quicker to get to the US—where he holds dual citizenship—instead of his home in Australia, he aimed for San Diego. Steven then took on multiple roles: house manager, tech support, chauffeur, scooter mechanic, and dog walker, amongst myriad other tasks and projects. It wasn't easy but his sense of duty and love for his Nana took precedence. She was deeply appreciative, calling his presence a heaven-sent gift. Daughter Claire moved in full-time when she retired from teaching in summer 2025. She was a Godsend in taking on the brunt of our Mom’s needs as her health declined. Thanks are also due to Lucy Arvizo for dependably keeping our parents’ home shipshape in their later years.

Rite of Committal and burial with her husband—and near their daughter Cathy—at Arlington National Cemetery will occur on Anne’s birthday, Wednesday, April 1 with a service at the Old Post Chapel at Fort Myer at 2:45pm, followed by the burial.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Anne’s memory to St. Mary Mission in the Navajo Nation, PO Box 39, Tohatchi, New Mexico 87325; phone 505-733-2243 (Mail a check and note: in memory of Anne L. Hoffman on the memo line); Birthline of San Diego County via: birthlineofsd.networkforgood.com/projects/151769-everyday-giving

(Note: Memorial donation; designate Anne L. Hoffman and the email address: [email protected]);

Ascension Catholic Parish via:

www.sdascension.org/donate-online (Click Donate Here, select Miscellaneous-other donation, enter Anne L. Hoffman in Note).

Anne had joie de vivre and loved fiercely. Her legacy lives on in the many lives she touched—and in every stitch, story, and act of kindness she left behind. We miss her dearly but are glad she is reunited with her beloved Bob and her daughter Cathy. Please enjoy a glass of boxed wine complete with ice cubes and cranberry juice or some dark chocolate in her memory.