Eulogy for Jack Hofmann, by his son Gary Hofmann Authored June 2007 by Gary Hofmann; typed and reviewed by Jennifer Thompson (Gary's sister) Source file: Dad's obituary.doc (Microsoft Word, 25,600 bytes) Provenance: emailed from Jennifer Thompson to Benjamin Thompson on June 7, 2007 at 9:20 AM ET; subject "Dad's obituary"; original attachment preserved in Benjamin Thompson's gmail and re-forwarded to himself on July 26, 2018. In Jennifer's cover note: "Gary wrote this and I went over it. I sent it back to both my brothers for comment and/or stories to insert into the text. However, I haven't gotten a response... It really is more like an eulogy. I wrote a separate obituary for the newspaper here and David wrote one for the newspapers in Indiana." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Born June 26th, 1926, Jack Hofmann was raised on a farm in rural Indiana. Along with his older brother Donald and his sisters Wilma and Joyce, Jack learned that life's rewards were earned through hard work and honest living. Strong, tall and athletic, Jack, like many other Hoosier boys, loved basketball and played for his small rural high school in Brownsville, Indiana. When his older brother went off to serve in World War II, Jack was too young for the military. Instead, he contributed to the war effort by staying behind to assist in the day to day running of the family farm. At war's end, on VJ Day, he met the love of his life, Betty Jo Gruell. He knew then that he would spend the rest of his life with kind and beautiful woman. Together for 59 years, they raised a family, daughter Jennifer, and sons Gary and David. Jack's trade for almost all of his adult life was automotive body repair. He took great pride in his work and was renowned for his ability to restore damaged vehicles to showroom condition. Wanting to do business independently, Jack set up a body shop of his own just north of Liberty, Indiana. He built an outstanding reputation on integrity, service and quality workmanship. When needing to repair their cars, people from miles around would insist on having their repairs done at Hofmann Body Shop. It was a business that endured for nearly 40 years. Jack also had a reputation for his ability to do sign painting. His work was displayed as advertising on many of the businesses around Liberty. Though most people knew him for his workmanship, those who knew him well understood that underlying this pragmatic craftsman was a classic artist. Drawing a landscape or a portrait just came naturally to Jack. Jack Hofmann was a man of complexity. Though not a religious man, he was a man of deep moral conviction and lived the Golden Rule. Though quiet with a rather stern demeanor, he had a surprisingly disarming sense of humor that he displayed until the day he died. An extremely intelligent man, Jack was an excellent student but never had the opportunity to attend college. Nevertheless, he had a passion for politics though he was never a politician. His strong mental faculties along with his moral convictions were never lost. Even time, pain and suffering did not alter his strong capacity to think well. And even though he tried to hide it, he was a gentle man. Neither fame nor riches, but how this man touched the lives of family and friends is his true legacy. Jack leaves behind a loving wife, three children, four grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. They will miss him every day for the rest of their lives.