Roger "Hawk" Hoffman of Tavares, FL. and formerly Bluffton, OH and Eshbach, Pa. died on September 1, 2024. Roger was born on Feb. 1st, 1952 to the late Roger Melvin Hoffman & Dorothy (Fronheiser) Hoffman who are both deceased.
Roger married the love of his life Sandra (Sam) Karhoff on Aug. 17, 1974 who survives.
Survivors include two children, Andrea Mahone of Lima, OH. and Michael (Cari) Hoffman of Nashville, Tenn. 4 grandchildren Milan and Myles Mahone, Monroe and Reese Hoffman.
Roger graduated from Boyertown H.S. in PA. in 1970 and went to Bluffton College from 1971-1973.
Roger went to work for Peerless Ohio Glove Co. in Bluffton in June of 1973 and in three years became Plant Manager and retired there in 2018 after 45 years as their Plant Manager.
Roger never met a sport he didn't like but loved his baseball and softball. He was a three-time Ches Mont baseball champion at shortstop for the Boyertown Bears from 1968-1970 and batted .500 his Senior season as captain and lead the Ches Mont league in batting. He was also a member of the Boyertown American Legion Post 471 baseball teams that won many league and regional championships along with the 1969 PA American Legion State Baseball Championship. He was both a PA. East All Star in 1970 in Connie Mack Stadium and the East and West All Star in Veteran's Stadium in Philadelphia starting at shortstop.
Roger also played on his Boyertown HS basketball team from 1968-1970 and was captain and leading scorer his senior season.
Roger went to Bluffton College in Bluffton, Ohio and started as a walk-on at shortstop his freshman season and help lead the Beavers to some of the best teams in their history along with defensive stats that still stand today. The 1973 team is still the highest win percentage team in the history of the university.
After leaving the university in 1973 he started his slow pitch softball career that led to many league championship along with a lot of weekend tournament championships and a 1980 Class A ASA State Slow Pitch Championship. Roger was selected as one of top 20 all time softball players in the Tri County Area in and around Lima, OH. He made the cuts for the Cincinnati Suds Pro Softball team but ended up turning down a position due to his family and work responsibilities.
Roger took up bowling to keep him busy during the fall and winters and had numerous 279 games, a few 299 games and one 300 and a lot of 700 series but never that elusive 800 series. Roger was also a member and President of the Lima Bowling Association for years and participated in close to 25 National ABC Bowling Tournaments around the country. After bowling he took up bass fishing and was a member the Findlay Fishing Club, in Findlay, Ohio and was Sec./Treas. for over 15 years along with being a member of the Northside Bassmasters of Indian Lake, Ohio where he was also president. His largest bass was a certified 14-pounder he caught on March 5, 1993 in Florida.
Roger was known for saying "A friend you make on a baseball field or basketball court is a friend you'll have for life," which is so true especially if you knew how many former teammates he's kept in contact with his entire life.
Memorial arrangements will be determined at a later date.
