Toft Funeral Home and Crematory
2001 Columbus Ave
Sandusky, OH 44870
Phone: 419-625-8816
Website: http://www.toftfh.com
View All Obituaries from Toft Funeral Home and Crematory
John David Hoffman, 62, of Florence Township, passed away on Saturday, September 2, 2023 after a long battle with cancer.
John was born on November 4, 1960 in Pittsburgh, PA to James and Eunice (Vogel) Hoffman.
He graduated from Center Area High School in 1978 and the University of Pittsburgh in 1983 with a degree in Economics. He relocated to Berlin Heights in 1992, where he established family roots.
Known as Big Daddy Hoffman ("BDH" for short) to his closest family, John truly was a larger than life presence, eager to share (some would say "pontificate") his knowledge and opinions with all in earshot.
John was widely known as a pedant, especially regarding grammar, and he is probably looking down from heaven proofreading this right now. Despite this, it was not unheard of for him to make his own linguistic or logical missteps, usually at a loud volume, events that would elicit warm laughter and much ribbing from his family.
John loved hunting and kite flying, but even more than his own hobbies, John enjoyed any hobby that his children pursued. From running races in the backyard with his kids when Remi started cross country, to maintaining bicycles and watching bike races with Johnny, to cheering on Chris in precision target shooting, John proudly adopted just about all of his children's hobbies as his own. In his final weeks, he identified his three children competing in BMX biking as his favorite memory of them in their youth.
This intense love for anything his children did, persisted into their adulthood, and John's interest in dentistry, the military, and the law expanded dramatically as his children settled into their chosen fields. One of the few things John enjoyed more than regaling people with tales of his children's work exploits was hearing his children tell those stories themselves, and he could often be found encouraging (or even badgering) his children to repeat their stories over and over again to every new person that entered the room.
Although quick to lampoon snobbishness in others, John certainly loved the finer things in life, and he rarely settled for less than the best: fine wines, fine food, fine guns, and especially fine audio equipment.
John also loved the cats and dogs lucky enough to share their lives with him. Ironically, one of his favorite exclamations was "too much dog!", when in reality he couldn't get enough of them.
John spent his decades-long career in sales, and he was widely respected by his coworkers, who called him "brilliant and hardworking" and have noted that he always went above and beyond to understand and satisfy the needs of his customers. The later part of his career was spent in agricultural sales, and there was no question that he loved the subject matter, especially pumpkins, leading to him being known in some circles as "The Pumpkin King". Several family members also have stories of John showing up, sometimes unannounced, with a pickup truck full of produce that he would lovingly (if somewhat forcefully) offload.
John also loved gardening and growing his own produce, especially when he could play with tractors or other farm equipment. Although he didn't necessarily admit it, he even seemed to love mowing the lawn, and the sight of John riding the mower around the backyard, seemingly for the third time in a day, was a familiar and comforting sight to his family.
John was a tinkerer. Whether repairing and maintaining the aforementioned farm equipment, performing home improvement projects, or rerouting cables in the entertainment system for the umpteenth time, he always seemed to be working on a project. Although some of his more elaborate contraptions tended toward being too clever by half, there was no doubt that the mind behind them was clever indeed, or at least creative. The strength of his orbit also tended to pull others into his projects, especially his sons and son-in-law. Although certainly not above getting his hands dirty, when help was on hand in his later years, John tended to gravitate toward a managerial role, preferring to direct the activities of his helpers from a position of relative comfort. This would often elicit a certain degree of grumbling from his family, but any of them would give just about anything to be able to work on a convoluted "BDH project" even just one more time.
John is survived by his wife, Melissa, whom he married on August 4, 1990. He is also survived by his daughter, Rebecca (Alex) Trazkovich; sons, John D. (Faythe) Hoffman Jr., Christopher A. (Madelon Kilbury) Hoffman; sisters, Julie Hoffman, Mary (Michael) Richards, Jeanne (Mark) Schreiber; and numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives.
John was preceded in death by his parents, James and Eunice (Vogel) Hoffman.
"Big Daddy Hoffman" will be missed, and there is no question that he has left a big daddy-sized hole in the hearts of his loved ones.
A celebration of life will be held to honor John on his birthday, November 4, 2023. Details to follow.
Toft Funeral Home, Hinman Chapel, 38 South Street, Berlin Heights, is handling arrangements. Condolences may be shared online at toftfuneralhome.com.
