Helga Svanhild (Tofteland) Hoffman

Helga was born in Luverne, Minnesota, on August 27, 1933, to Reinert and Tilda (Akersmyr) Tofteland. She was raised on the Tofteland farm, where the family spoke Norwegian. Helga first learned English when she began her education in a one-room schoolhouse. She graduated from Augustana Academy and furthered her education at Augustana College in Sioux Falls.

On June 21, 1953, Helga married Wayne Hoffman at Zion Lutheran Church in Luverne. Their union was blessed by five exceptional children. Through their 67 years of marriage, Wayne and Helga made homes in South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Iowa. Helga was an integral and vital part of Wayne’s ministry in the many churches he served as a Presbyterian pastor.

Helga had a strong connection to her Norwegian heritage, which she lovingly shared with her family through food, language and traditions. She was greatly loved and admired by her family who continue to be blessed by her sweet and kind spirit. Her deep and abiding faith in God were evident in her gracious and gentle nature. At every dinner or party, Helga was everyone’s favorite companion due to her genuine warmth and friendliness. When you left her home, she was always at the front window and gave her famous “grandma wave.”

To cherish her memory, Helga leaves behind her husband Wayne and children Peggy Ann Radio and her husband Tom; Pamela Jo Merrick and her husband John; Eric Jon and his wife Rebecca; Nancy Helga Thompson and her husband Stan; and Jason Wayne and his wife Tina. Helga is also survived by her 14 grandchildren: Ingrid Radio, Helga Radio, Erik (Elika Ortega) Radio, Courtney (Corey) Kopatich, Emily (Wade) Ballinger, Matthew (Rachel) Merrick, Rachel Jackson, Jon (Jordan) Hoffman, Andrew (Mary Katherine) Thompson, Matthew Thompson, Samuel (Rachel) Thompson, Benjamin Thompson, Noah Hoffman and Jonah Hoffman; and 10 great grandchildren: Kylie, Kate and Carson Kopatich, Isla and Jude Jackson, Will and Clara Ballinger, Lincoln and Memphis Hoffman, and Tatum Thompson. She is also survived by her sister Lily Hartmann, sister and brother-in-law Shirley and Richard Schoffelman, sisters-in-law Marian Hoffman and Carolyn Tofteland, and a large extended family. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Arthur and Arnold, and her sister Rosa.