In Memory of
CAROL ANN (HINES) HOFFMAN
CAROL ANN (HINES) HOFFMAN passed
away peacefully at home in the wee hours of Friday, June 30, 2023, in Kansas
City, Missouri. She was born on September 13, 1947, to Bill and Lewene (Leland)
Hines in Lockhart, Texas.
She is survived by her husband of
39 years Ken Hoffman, their daughter Nicole Johnson Bratton (Jeff), brothers
John Hines and Paul Hines (Peggy), sister Deborah Hines Day (Roger),
granddaughter Towne Bratton, nephew Travis Echert (Hannah), niece Susan Hines
Graham (Charlie), nephew Sam Hines, sister-in-law Diane Hoffman Nims (Chris) their son
Adam (Amie), and the very close extended families of Tonya and Mike Walker and
Joni and Jerry Kruntorad. Survivors also include countless cousins, high school
buddies, former neighbors in Austin, Texas and Parkville, Missouri, and friends
from all walks of life in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. She made
instant connections and genuine friends wherever she went. She tended to be a
rebel and to attract other rebels. They know who they are. None will ever
forget her.
She was predeceased by her
parents and her nephew, Ryan Echert.
Because her father was career Air
Force, the family lived in several places around the U.S. and the world,
including Japan, France, and Germany, before finally landing at Randolph Air
Force Base in San Antonio, where she graduated in 1965 from Randolph High School.
Carol Ann attended the University
of Texas at Austin for a year and then went to work in the Office of the Texas
Secretary of State. Ultimately, she spent a decades-long career as an
extraordinarily skilled legal secretary, paralegal, and law office manager. She
was so smart, perceptive, and resourceful that she could have easily been a
highly successful lawyer if she had been so inclined. Instead, as she liked to
say, she trained a lot of lawyers!
Carol Ann was a special person
who meant so much to so many it is very difficult to describe her in a few
words. She was devoted to her husband, family, and friends almost to a fault. She
was quietly tough-minded and resilient with an inner strength of will that was
sometimes to her detriment because of her selflessness. Despite her
gregariousness, she was also a very private person who never outwardly sought
credit for the many things she did for others as a wife, mother, grandmother,
sister, aunt, mentor, advisor, confidant, and friend. She was a talented chef
who could prepare a meal from almost anything except fish. She hated fish. She
had an uncanny knack for finding cafés and restaurants and picking the best
(but not the most expensive) items on the menu, even in cities and countries where
she had never been.
Carol Ann was famously frugal yet
unflinchingly generous. “Plan” was one of only a few four-letter words she
refused to use. She had definite opinions but was non-judgmental of others. She
loved: snow; all of Canada, especially Quebec City; parties of two to 200;
spicy food, especially Mexican; hole-in-the-wall cafés; visiting old
cemeteries; grocery shopping so she could make a new dish she had thought of;
reading cookbooks but never following the recipes exactly as written because
her changes made them better; and giving her husband, family, and friends grief
in some hilarious way. It was almost impossible to have the last word with
Carol Ann. It remains to be seen if her passing will change that.
Above all, Carol Ann was loving
and loyal, compassionate and kind. She will be forever loved and missed, and
her memory will be cherished.
Carol Ann was a registered organ
donor. Following her cremation, a small family gathering is planned. Impromptu
celebrations of her life are likely in the near future. In lieu of flowers, donations
can be made to either or both of the following charitable organizations:
Feed Northland Kids -- https://feednorthlandkids.org
Hillcrest Platte County - Family
Transitional Housing -- https://hillcrestplatte.org
Condolences may be sent to her husband
Kenneth Hoffman
kenhoffman@kc.rr.com
5801 NW 63rd Street
#7407
Kansas City, MO 64151-3346
