Class: 1968
Major: English
Deceased: July 12, 2003
Alumni survivors: Mr. William E. Hofmann ’71 P09 (Sibling)
Robert C. Hofmann, 57, of Danville, passed away at 5:52 am Saturday (July 12, 2003) at proven USMC, Logan campus. He was born July 2, 1946 in Chicago Heights, the son of Charles and Frieda Bleichroth Hofmann. He married Catherine Conlin on June 24, 1972, in Watseka. Other survivors include his parents of Sun City Center, FL; three daughters; Laura (Ben) Stein of Chicago, Elizabeth (Brian) Peterlin of Bloomington and Emily Hofmann at home, and a brother, William (Maryellen) Hofmann of Homewood. Robert graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, MN in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in English. He later graduated from the University of Illinois Law School in 1974 with a juris doctor degree. He served in the U.S. Army from 1969-70, where he was stationed in Korea. Bob came to Danville in 1974 and joined Allen Dougherty in the practice of law to form the firm Dougherty and Hofmann. Tom Goodwin joined the firm in 1980, and in 1981 it became Dougherty, Hofmann, and Goodwin. He continued in private practice until August 21, 2000. From 1987 to 2002, Bob served as a corporate counsel for Interstate Publishers Inc. and was secretary to the board of directors. In August 2000, he left the private practice of law to become Interstate’s executive vice president. Bob served on the board of Crosspoint Human Services from 1978 to 1995. He formerly served on the board of the DACC Foundation, and was a current board member of the Provena United Samaritan’s Foundation. He was the attorney for the Danville Board of Realtors, and formerly represented American Legion Post 210, the city of Danville, several local banks, and numerous charitable contributions. He also served as an officer in the Danville High School Music Boosters. In 1997, he was one of the founding shareholders of the Center for Agriculture and Environmental Research & Training Inc (CAERT) and held the offices of corporate counsel and secretary/treasurer to the board of directors. In 2002, he became vice president and was instrumental in the growth of the corporation. Bob enjoyed golfing, traveling, jogging, and most of all, spending time with his family. A celebration of Bob’s life will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 15, at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Danville. Officiate will be Rev Douglas Hennessy Burial Spring Cemetary, with military rites by American Legion Post 210. Visitation is 4-8 p.m. Monday at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Danville.
Comments
Bob and I were roommates Junior and senior year living in Davis both years. We traveled in Europe during the summer of 1967 and ran into a few Carls doing the same thing. Bob and I kept in touch after graduation. He and his wife Cathy visited Kay and me in Connecticut shortly after they were married which was after his military service as editor of the division newspaper in Korea. When visiting my parents in western Illinois my family and I would stop at his home in Danville for a visit with Cathy and him and his three daughters. On our last visit I learned about his heart condition and his need for a transplant. But time passed and I happened to call him about a month before he died. I learned he had changed jobs and was working for a textbook company and very happy in his new career. His wife Cathy has since remarried.
Bob Hofmann lettered in many sports in high school, had gone steady with a pretty girlfriend, possessed physical grace and confidence, and came from a family of solid Republican virtues. Not me. But we became close friends. Sophomore year, we roomed together; our last two years, Bruce Mork ('69) and I roomed next to him and George Sherrard. I picture a chorus of partiers in their room whenever I hear "We Gotta Get Outa This Place," Bob bouncing on the bed with an empty bottle for a microphone. Bob, George, Kent Leifer ('67) and I often played basketball together, three of them gifted athletes who nevertheless tolerated and encouraged me. Bob was open-minded, curious, and something of a romantic, participating like many of us in rapid cultural change; but quiet conversation showed a person deeply serious about finding an honest path through a confusing world. The owner of Bill's pizza was particularly impressed the day Bob came downtown to return the extra $10 he'd mistakenly been given in change the previous night; but for Bob it was simply in character. In the most positive sense, he showed me a lot about being a man.
David Lovell '68