My Family

Hoffman Brothers Construction

My Uncle John 'driving" the Marek's Grocery truck

My Dad had an 8th grade education, grew up on a farm in a little burg in Wisconsin, and ended up owning a successful construction company in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.  My Mom grew up helping out in her family's grocery store.  She had a high school education and was the state spelling champion.

Mom and Dad when they were courting

A triple wedding!

Nine months and one day later!

They had six children.  I'm the oldest.  Nancy always tells me when I get around my siblings, I revert back to being the oldest and the bossiest.  That's probably true.  It's hard to break those habits from childhood.

A very 1960's Christmas

My siblings were very successful academically and are well respected in their fields of work and life.

We spent a few days last week with the brother who is closest in age to me and his wife.  We had such a good time with them in the little town of Abingdon, VA, and I began to think about all my siblings and their unique skills and talents.

Our niece's wedding and a great opportunity to be together

Tom is 15 months younger than I am.  He was my best friend growing up.  He actually taught me how to study when we were in high school.  He has a Ph.D. in nuclear physics, worked in Oak Ridge, TN, for some years, then became a successful commodities trader.  He and his wife, Sue, have traveled all over the world and are enjoying their four grown children and their six grandchildren.

Roger is probably the genius of us all. He has over 50 patents and has worked in the paper industry for many years.  He is environmentally very active in protecting water, land, and air, and is a generous and giving human being.  He and his wife, Carol, have five children between them and 13 grandchildren.  They are also world travelers.

Ron is a creative genius who was instrumental in designing and building the house he and his wife, Nancy, live in now.  He invented boxes for shipping items of different sizes and shapes, and traveled around getting the US technologically ready for Y2K.  He also authored an incredible book, Hearing Silence, about his experiences as a Marine during the Vietnam war. He is also a prostate cancer survivor and our hero.  Ron and Nancy have five children between them and 5 grandchildren.

My brother, Glen, was killed in a car accident at 41 years old.  There were over 300 people at his funeral.  He was well loved by all of us.  He had a kind and gentle nature that drew people to him.  He participated in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program and was a great Big Brother to a boy who had a lovely, single mom.  A few years later they married and, together, raised her two children.  Glen and his wife, Darlene, were instrumental in starting a family reunion every Easter that continues to this day, 35 years later.  Darlene has remained a big part of our crazy family and continued planning our family reunions long after Glen's death.  Darlene has two children and 2 grandchildren.

Tough guys heading for a swim: Glen, Ronnie,Roger, Tom, and me

And Mary makes six!

We five brothers were almost stair-steps.  Then, lo and behold, a sister was born.  In truth, they probably saved the best for last.  Mary has two children and four grandchildren.  She lives in Arkansas and has been head of Housing and Urban Development in Conway for many years.  Mary takes care of people; many of whom can't take care of themselves.  She is well loved and has been recognized by many people as a leader in the field of federal housing. She is also the best little sister a guy could ask for.

Enough for today.  Just was thinking about my parents and my siblings and felt like sharing.

From left to right: Ron and Nancy, Roger and Carol, Sue and Tom, my Nancy, Mary, me, and Darlene