Esta V. Hoffman

Family visitation was held 6:30 to 7:30 PM, Monday, March 28, 2005 at Behner Funeral Home.

Additional visitation was held 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, Tuesday, March 29 at the Birmingham United Methodist Church, with funeral services following at 1:00 PM. Rev. Michael Renken officiated, with burial in the Spencer Cemetery in Stockport, Iowa.

The family requests memorials to Hilltop Manor North 408 Jefferson, Pella, Iowa 50219.

Esta was born April 23, 1913 near Stockport, Iowa to Nathaniel and Eva Brown. She was the eleventh of twelve siblings. Esta attended the Stockport Community Schools and graduated in 1931 at the top of her class. She then attended Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa and earned her teaching certificate. Esta taught in the rural schools of Van Buren County for two years.

On April 21, 1934, Esta was united in marriage to Van A. Hoffman of Birmingham, Iowa. To this union, six children were born. Van was engaged in farming and Esta was a homemaker. She taught briefly until she was blessed with children. They lived in numerous communities in Iowa and Illinois until Van's death in 1974. Esta resided in the Fairfield area to be near some of her children from 1974 until December 1998 when she moved to Hilltop Manor to be near her daughter in Knoxville, Iowa.

Esta enjoyed reading, working crossword puzzles, playing Bingo and watching "Jeopardy". She also enjoyed watching historical events or anything educational in her desire to keep up with world events and put them in the perspective of her life experience.

Another joy was her annual winter semester interaction with Central College students. They were assigned or volunteered to interview the elderly. Esta made many young friends through this program. She enjoyed her home with the Hilltop family in Pella, Iowa

Esta has eight grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren. These descendants are far-flung, some in the Midwest in southern Iowa and northern Missouri, others in San Francisco, Nashville and Philadelphia.

Survivors include Gloria & Jay Miles of Knoxville, Iowa, Karen & Neal Vinyard of Hot Springs, Arkansas, Judith & Marvin Douglas of Burlington, Iowa, Kenneth & Dorothy Hoffman of Indianola, Iowa, Dan Hoffman of Fairfield, Iowa, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one son, Richard Hoffman, six brothers; Ira, Asa, Otto, Alva, Arlow & Arza and five sisters; Alma, Lola, Zola, Iris & Lela.