Paul J. Hoffman

Age 89, of Roseville, formerly of Saint Paul.

Paul Julian Hoffman was born May 8, 1934 in New Richmond, WI to Floyd and Myrtle Hoffmann, the eighth of nine children. The family moved to Cumberland WI in the early 1940’s where they enjoyed living in a large home on Beaver Dam Lake.

Paul graduated from Cumberland High School in 1952 and spent time in the Pacific Northwest, where he worked at a variety of jobs including at a lumber mill and driving trucks during the hop harvest.

As did many men of his generation, Paul joined the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and trained as a surgical technician at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Paul then set sail across the Pacific Ocean where he would spend the next three years at a military hospital on the Itazuke Air Base in Fukuoka, Kyushu Island, Japan.

After an honorable discharge in 1956 from Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Paul attended UW Superior on the GI Bill and graduated with a BS in Business Administration. During college, Paul spent his summers back in Cumberland where he worked in the cook room at the Stokely-Van Camp pea and bean cannery. After graduation, Paul began his nearly 40-year career as an account manager in the printing industry, retiring from National Checking Corporation in 1999.

In 1962, Paul married Ann Darlene Cifaldi on Valentine’s Day at St. Anthony the Abbot Catholic Church in Cumberland WI. Post-wedding activities included a stop at “The Club” on Main Street and a wedding luncheon at the Tower House with the Hoffman and Cifaldi families.

In his spare time, Paul spent considerable time with his family at home as well as on short trips around the Midwest and longer trips across many parts of the United States. In the fall, Paul went on annual deer hunting trips in the Black Hills, Wyoming & Montana, and grouse hunting with his sons on the Iron Range, as well as fishing trips in Minnesota, Canada and Alaska and life-long fly fishing for trout on the Clam River. Aside from being a gifted poker player, Paul was also expert at Blackjack and enjoyed innumerable games of Cribbage, Thirteen and Kings on the Corner. Paul’s love of reading cannot be understated as he was a voracious reader of all sorts of books, with a particular interest in World War II, true crime, and espionage.

Blessed with a dose of wanderlust, travel became a major part of Paul’s life. In fact, at the ripe age of 13, he and a few brave friends took it upon themselves to travel the upper Midwest, hitchhiking from Wisconsin to North Dakota before returning home. The next year, he and his brother Floyd took a solo train trip from St. Paul to Boston to visit their older brother John, who was in medical school. Paul continued to travel through the years with numerous trips across the US and internationally to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay (for a quick two hours), Italy, Belize & Guatemala. You see his character as a human by the many stories from people who met him on these trips and the fondness with which they have remembered him.

Paul instilled in his sons a love of nature which has had an enduring impact on their lives. Their annual bird hunting trips to the Iron Range were always fruitful except for that one time when Paul found his teen sons asleep in a field, basking in the warm, late-morning sun. Paul supported their involvement in Boy Scouts and would always help them with projects and merit badges. He was also famous for bringing pizza to the annual summer camp, making him the most popular parent at camp. One of the greatest gifts he gave as a parent was the weekly trips with his boys to the library, visits that were never rushed. He supported their athletic and academic pursuits without dictating what or how, allowing for a sense of autonomy with guidance.

He also had a special gift with children, who were attracted to his calm and quiet spirit. This extended to his many nieces and nephews, friends, and neighbors, whom he entertained with coin tricks, limericks, his “clicky” finger and the ability to wiggle his ears.

As a grandfather, Paul was among the best. From strolling Gabriel around New York City when he was an infant, to playing cards with Alexander, he was always their source for fun. Still, he was firm with them and once when they started arguing while he was driving, he told them to “knock it off or I’ll pull over” which, at the time scared both boys, but now it’s something about which they laugh. If asked what may have been his only failure as a father and grandfather, it would have to be that neither son became a golfer and neither grandson is a Vikings fan (for that he may be eternally grateful).

Paul passed peacefully away at home on November 9, 2023. He is survived by his wife Darlene, sons Paul and Daniel (Assenka), grandsons Gabriel & Alexander, sister Linda Facklam, many relatives & friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Charlene, John, Bertine, Marge, Hazel and Floyd; followed in death by sister, Dorothy.

Special recognition is extended to his wife Darlene, who provided daily caregiving during his last years, as well as the Allina Hospice team who assured that he was comfortable during his last days.

Visitation 11:00 am - 12:00 pm Saturday, May 25 at Mueller-Bies Funeral Home (Roseville), 2130 N. Dale St. at County Rd. B followed by Memorial & Remembrances at 12:00 pm.