Kenneth Lawrence Hoffman

Kenneth “Kenny” Hoffmann, 74, of Dubuque, Iowa died Thursday January 11, 2024, at home. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, January 19, 2024 at the Egelhof, Siegert and Casper Funeral Home, 2659 Kennedy Road.  A public visitation for family and friends will be held from 4 to 7 pm Thursday, January 18.  Burial will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

Kenny was born on December 31, 1948, in LaMotte, Iowa, the son of Theodore and Loretta (Herbst) Hoffmann.  The youngest of 7 children, he started his formal schooling at the country school near his home. Later he attended Andrew School, and after moving to Dubuque, graduated from Dubuque Senior in 1968. In 1970, Kenny earned his diploma in Printing from Dunwoody Industrial Institute of Minneapolis (now “Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis, MN.

Kenny was a “workhorse,” generally holding more than one job until his retirement, including his business, Hoffmann Printing, where he operated his cast iron printing press out of his home where he was proud to fulfill orders for family and friends. Kenny began his professional career in 1970 as one of the first intertype operators at Regency in Dubuque. He was a press operator for Regency until they closed in 2006. Following his time at Regency, he worked as a finishing Technician for Quad Graphics (formerly World Color and Quebecor) until they closed in 2013. While Kenny had worked part time for the Telegraph Herald from 1993-2010, he finished his career there full time before officially retiring to enjoy puttering in his garden.  

Kenny purchased his home in the early 1970s, and was proud to make the house his home. In the nearly 50 years in his home, Kenny took great pride in caring for his lawn and  raised a beautiful vegetable garden every year. He truly enjoyed experimenting with new varieties of his old favorites. One year, he even grew tomatoes that were advertised to grow to be 5 lbs each! While they may not have may not have gotten quite that big, the tomatoes that year were quite large! 

Kenny was married for a short time, and from the union, his son (“Little Buddy,”) Mason, was born. Kenny felt it was important to teach Mason as much as he could about life, and cherished time spent with him. He enjoyed the time they spent together fishing, gardening, cooking, canning, and more.

Kenny also loved spending Christmas with his family and decorating for the holidays. He and and his grandson, Charles, shared a love of nutcrackers, and Kenny kept his collection on display year-round. The rest of the Christmas decorations always went up in late November. In recent years, his home transitioned into a Christmas wonderland with several trees (of varying sizes,) a Christmas Village, Nativity, and other beautiful decor. 

Left to cherish his memories are his son, Mason (Carrie) Hoffmann; grandson, Charles Hoffmann; siblings, Floyd (LuEtta) Hoffmann, Clementine Hoffmann, Erma (JJ) Decker, and Mary Lange; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Sylvester (Mary Jane) Hoffmann and Richard Hoffmann; and a brother-in-law, Edmond Lange.