Loren Hoffmann

Madison - Loren C. Hoffmann passed away peacefully in the company of his loving wife on December 15, 2020, after a hard-fought battle with cancer, at age 71. Loren is the husband of Anita Hoffmann; beloved father of Gabe (Katie) Hoffmann and Rebecca (Mark) Paulson; cherished grandfather of Zoe and Owen Hoffmann, and Charlie, Theo, and Zach Paulson; dear uncle to many nieces and nephews; close brother of LaVerne (Otto) Arndt, LeAnne Bruss, Louise Hoffmann, and, of blessed memory, Lyle (Marlene) Hoffmann; brother-in-law to Willard Bruss, of blessed memory; son of Mildred and Martin Hoffmann, of blessed memory.

Loren grew up in Caledonia, Wisconsin, the youngest of five children. He attended a one room schoolhouse from grades 1 through 8, in which his father taught as headmaster. His mother was a piano teacher. Education was always important to Loren. He became the valedictorian of his high school. Loren then attended the University of Wisconsin, where he received a bachelors in philosophy, a masters in social work, and an MBA.

Loren was an incredible husband and father - caring, fun-loving, and supportive. He and Anita enjoyed 46 years of marriage and raising a family together. Loren loved being available to play with his children, mentor them, and support their pursuits. He tossed his kids around in the pool in the summers and helped them fortify snow forts in the winters. He playfully debated philosophy with them as they grew up. He taught them to make the best out of any situation and to find the joy in life. He juggled earning a business degree, a family business, and a full time job, while helping to raise small children. Yet, he always found time for his kids. After his children were grown, Loren continued to mentor them and go on adventures with them whenever possible, even backpacking over a snowy mountain pass at Yosemite with both kids in 2008.

Some of Loren’s most impactful work was the several years he spent as a social worker in Oregon and Wisconsin, and the decades he spent working for the State of Wisconsin bringing up new information technology systems. He closed out his career working for a social services software company. Prior to these jobs, he held several jobs he liked to tell stories about, such as working at a pickle canning factory, in a hardware store, and as Winnie the Pooh for a department store. His children remember fondly the years he did accounting for Rocky Rococo’s - they ate a lot of pizza during those glorious years.

After retirement, Loren relished most the time he spent with his grandchildren, and was frequently found on social media boasting about how lucky he was to be a grandpa and to be spending his retirement chasing after his five adoring grandkids. That feeling was certainly mutual.

When he wasn’t traveling or coming to the rescue as a babysitter for his grandkids across town, Loren could be found biking to a local coffee shop, working in his garden, volunteering at Olbrich Gardens, watching Badger volleyball, or putting together one of his way-too-many puzzles. Loren’s love for his family will be remembered more than anything else, followed closely (and perhaps in this order) by his love for biking, coffee, biking to get coffee, gardening, Badger volleyball, and puzzles.

His family and friends will dearly miss him.

Family and friends are invited to join an online memorial service on December 28, 2020. Please contact beccapaulson@gmail.com for details.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to UW Carbone Cancer Center or Olbrich Botanical Gardens.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Services

3610 Speedway Road

(608) 238-3434