Barbara Jean (Darmody) Hoffman Obituary
Barbara Jean (Darmody) Hoffman went to meet the Lord on May 13th, 2020.
Barb was born to Elmer and Anastasia (Lanigan) Darmody on January 20, 1928 in Rochester, Minnesota.
Barb as a child moved many times as her father sought work opportunities throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. After graduating from Milltown High School and then Polk county teacher’s college (Normal) Miss Darmody started her teaching career teaching in the old one room schoolhouses around Rochester, Minnesota and then at Orr Lake and Wolf Creek in Wisconsin. While teaching in northern Polk County she was courted by a local veteran recently returned from Korea, Loran Hoffman and after a year eloped much to the surprise of their parents who thought Loran was out cutting wood. Loran started working in St. Paul, so they bought a home and started a family. Barb was active in the church and went to Mass at the Cathedral in St. Paul and met and made many lifelong friends. In the early sixties they bought property on Lake Jane near Lake Elmo, Minnesota and built a beautiful lake home big enough for a family of eight. After many card parties, VFW auxiliary meetings and running six kids to countless ballgames and lifeguard duties they wanted to get back to the farm life. When a 80 acre farm became available near their hometown of Cushing they sold their beloved lake home and packed up lock stock and barrel to move into a three bedroom mobile home while they and friends built a ecofriendly new home overlooking Wolf Creek and Wolf Lake. Now it wouldn’t be a farm without horses, cattle, hogs and chickens and of course gardening. For many years the running April fool’s joke was (THE HORSES ARE OUT) which if you were ever involved in the round up, it wasn’t very funny. The new home became the center of all family celebrations in the winter snowmobiling, sliding and skiing. Spring maple sap, summer ballgames, and hunting in the fall. There were countless friends, cousins and relatives staying over or stopping in for coffee, lunch or dinner. Barb was constantly cooking something or cleaning up afterward. So, it only made sense that she would take a job as a cook in the high school. It also was a great chance to keep an eye on the boys. After Loran was seriously hurt in a construction accident Barb had to become caregiver and chauffer to many doctor appointments mostly in the cities. They were able to travel with trips to England, Ireland, France, Canada and Mexico. Grandkids were always a big part of her later life as were the great grandkids. She loved to read, play cards and watch her beloved songbirds, Twins and Vikings.
Barbara was preceded in death by her parents; brothers Robert, Pat and Dave Darmody and sisters Donna Volgren and twin sisters Mary Josephine and Margaret Jacqueline who passed away in their early childhood; her husband Loran Hoffman; son Spencer and son in laws Craig Forrest and Jim Hallgren.
She is survived by sons Steven (Mary), Scott (Cheryl), Shawn (Sarah); daughter Lori Forrest and Lynn Hallgren. She loved to bake and play cards with her 13 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
A graveside service will be held on Monday, April 18., 2020 at 2:00 PM at Riverside Cemetery in Grantsburg. A Catholic Mass will be held at a later date. Arrangements were entrusted to Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home, Grantsburg. Online condolences can be made at http://www.swedberg-taylor.com
