Delmer Dale Hoffmann, also known as Del, 72, died peacefully on April 11, 2024 in Modesto, CA. He was born on December 15, 1951 in Devils Lake, North Dakota and is preceded in death by his parents John and Lillian Hoffmann and
brother Donnis Hoffmann.
Surviving Del is his wife of 47 years, Karen; sons Jeremy (Heavenlie) and Andrew (Lizette) and four grandchildren. Theresa, Liam and Ava from Jeremy and Nathaniel from Andrew. He is also survived by his sisters Doris Miller, Dirae Anderson, and Linda Ellwein along with his brother Daryl Hoffmann and numerous nieces and nephews.
Del lived in North Dakota until the age of 11 when his family moved to Idaho where he spent countless hours enjoying the outdoors and fishing the local creeks. In 1966, when he was 15, he and his family moved to Santa Clara. In 1970 he graduated from Peterson High School in Sunnyvale where he attended an electrical vocational training program. Upon graduating he enlisted in the United States Army and served most of his 3 years in Germany where he trained as a paratrooper and worked in the mo- tor pool. After release from the army, he returned to California
where he worked first as an industrial maintenance mechanic and then as an industrial electrician. He worked as an industrial electrician for Owens Corning Fiberglas in Santa Clara for 10 years and Dublin San Ramon Services District for 23 years before retiring in 2013.
As a child Del was fascinated with trains. He loved the roar of the engine, the motion of the cars, and the sound of the horn. Because of his love for trains he became a model train enthusiast and would hang out at the local hobby shop where he met his future wife, Karen. After marrying in 1976 Del and Karen settled in San Jose where they lived for 9 years before moving to Manteca in 1985. Not long after moving to Manteca, Del became involved with helping form the Tidewater Southern Historical Railway Society which eventually set up a layout at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds. He enjoyed sharing his love of trains with the public
during the annual county fairs and was active in the society for many years.
Aside from trains, Del enjoyed spending time in his garage among the sawdust, creating timeless woodworking pieces.
Timeless is what Del was, quiet, thoughtful, patient and kind. A man true to his word and always willing to lend a hand to others. He loved his boys and his grandchildren, but most of all he loved Karen until his very last breath.
A Celebration of Life will be held at the Manteca Transit Center on June 15, 2024 at 11:30 am. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Pets and Pals Animal Shelter <\@> https://petsnpals.org/donate/.
Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
Thursday, May 30, 2024
