James A. Hofer

On Sunday, March 21, 2021, at 3:50 p.m., James Anthony "Jim" Hofer, loving husband of Loretta Clara (Smith) Hofer and devoted father of ten children, passed away at his home at the age of 88. A fervent Catholic, he was grateful to God for this life on earth and looked forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

On January 19, 1933, Jim was born to Joseph V. Hofer, Sr. and Marguerite A. (Beachner) Hofer on their farm seven miles south of Walnut. Jim grew up as the youngest of the family with his brothers, Joe, Bill and Ray, and his sister, Mary. He graduated from St. Francis High School in St. Paul in the Class of 1950. On May 14, 1955, he was united in the sacrament of holy matrimony with Loretta Smith at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Walnut. First living in Parsons and elsewhere in the Walnut area, they moved to the Hofer farm in 1957 after Jim's mother passed. There they raised their ten children.

Jim was a lifelong farmer on the farm that his grandfather, Vincent Hofer, founded in 1880. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 760, since he was 18 years old. He taught for 20 years, many of those years with his wife, at St. Francis Parish School of Religion. In 1962 he became the first layman to be a Commentator or Lector at Mass at St. Francis Church, where he also came to serve as a Eucharistic Minister and a member of the St. Francis Adult Choir for many years. Jim was also a member of Kansans for Life.

Survivors include:

His loving wife of 65 years – Loretta, of the home

Ten children – LaDonna Haley of McAllen, Texas

Mary DeGraffenreid and her husband, Ron, of Wichita, Kansas

Charlotte Hofer of Walnut, Kansas

Dr. David Hofer, D.C., of Kansas City, Missouri

Christopher Hofer and his wife, Nancy, of Girard, Kansas

Bernadette Myers and her husband, Currie, of Mission, Kansas

Marta Bolinger and her husband, Mark, of Pittsburg, Kansas

Michael Hofer and his wife, Lori, of Torrington, Wyoming

Rita Moss and her husband, Matt, of Olathe, Kansas

Kenneth (Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P.) Hofer of Washington, D.C.

Twenty-six grandchildren

Forty-two great-grandchildren

He was preceded in death by his parents; and his four siblings, Joe Hofer, Mary Clarkin, Bill Hofer and Ray Hofer.

The funeral Mass will be at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, March 25, 2021, at St. Francis Catholic Church in St. Paul with a rosary beginning at 9:30 a.m., preceding the Mass. Burial will follow at St. Francis Cemetery. The rosary will also be prayed at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 24, 2021, at Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Parsons. The family will receive friends following the rosary. The rosary and the funeral Mass can be viewed live on the Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home Facebook page. For all events, social distancing guidelines will be followed, including the requirement of face masks.

Memorials are suggested to St. Francis Catholic Church, Kansans for Life, or St. Dominic Priory in Washington, D.C. These may be left at or mailed to Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home, P.O. Box 374, Parsons, KS 67357.