Gerhard Heinz Hoffman

Gerhard Hoffman was born in 1930 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where his parents had immigrated from Germany. Soon after his birth, his mother was required to travel alone to her homeland to correct immigration papers. It was about six months before she could return to the U.S. and her children. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Jamestown, North Dakota, where Gerhard's father worked as a butter maker.

At the age of fourteen, Gerhard began creamery work and soon had his own truck route delivering milk, ice cream, and beer. With the World War II labor shortage, he added shocking wheat and oats to his daily labor.

Both of Gerhard's parents spoke with a heavy German accent, so he was harassed during the war years. He learned a lot about racism, even though he was white.

In 1946, Gerhard and his family moved to Everett, Washington, where he completed high school and attended Everett Junior College. "If it hadn't been for my high school biology teacher, I would never have considered medical school. The teacher helped me obtain scholarships. College had seemed unlikely." Later, Gerhard transferred to North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, where he met and married Jane Hooton, the mother of his four children.

Gerhard was accepted by the University of Washington Medical School.

To fulfill his Korean War service obligation, Gerhard served for over six years in the U.S. Public Health Service, which provided medical care to the Coast Guard and the Merchant Marine. He was stationed on a ship in the North Atlantic that gave navigational aid to all trans-Atlantic flights, including Khruschev's legendary trip to the U.N., when he pounded the desk with his shoe.

Gerhard completed his radiology residency at Staten Island, New York, and a fellowship at Columbia Presbyterian in Upper Manhattan during his service time.

After 20 years of radiology in private practice in Mt. Vernon, WA, Gerhard became medical director of radiology at Magic Valley Regional Medical Center in Twin Falls, ID, where he remained for 10 years. In retirement, he was licensed in six states and did locum tenens work.

When asked about his career, Gerhard said, "I started with plain X-ray film, G.I. and kidney studies, some cancer therapy, and isotope imaging. The field rapidly moved to using ultrasound, CT, MRI, and PET scans. Continuing education courses kept me extremely busy, but it was always stimulating to learn from the wizards in those fields."

Gerhard bought property on Lopez Island, WA, in 1966 and had a cabin built. It became his primary home in 1992, where he lived with his wife, Rita Glenn Larom, whom he married in Twin Falls, Idaho, in 1986. They moved to College Place, WA, in 2018 and to Wheatland Village in Walla Walla in 2024."Faith, family, and friends give meaning to my life and its vagaries. Happiness requires peace with oneself and the discovery of joy and humor in life as it really is," Gerhard would say.

Gerhard's immediate family includes his wife: Rita Hoffman; children: Cynthia Curran (deceased); Susan Fahey, Eugene, OR; Karl Hoffman, Mt. Vernon, WA; Cheryl (Keith) Dyson, Port Townsend, WA; stepson: Clark Jacobson, Richland, WA; sisters: Hildegard Croft (deceased); Rose Marie Branson, Everett, WA; seven grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren (one deceased).

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at 1:00 PM at Christ Lutheran Church, Walla Walla, WA. A reception will follow.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Christian Aid Center, Christ Lutheran Church, or a charity of choice through the Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W Alder St, Walla Walla, WA 99362. Friends and family are invited to sign the online guestbook at www.herringgroseclose.com.