Kenneth Dale Hoffmeyer, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 17, 2023, in
Rochester, Minnesota at the age of 107.
Ken was born on May 19, 1915, on his family farm in Corunna, Indiana to William and Nellie Hoffmeyer.
He graduated from Ashley High School, class of 1933, and worked on the farm and at various local jobs
until 1941.
In 1941 he was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Corps, and was stationed in Denver, Colorado.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he was sent to officers training school in Miami Beach, Florida. After
graduating, he was moved in secret to Edmonton, Alberta Canada, then onto Big Delta, Alaska, where he
was a captain and base commander tasked to supply Russia with winterized airplanes flown in from the
US for distribution to allies in Europe and the South Pacific. In 1946, Ken was promoted to Major and
honorably discharged. Ken then served in the Minnesota National Guard, and in 1951 was again called
into active service in Korea, serving as Captain of a US Army artillery battalion until his discharge in 1953.
After the war, Ken worked for PPG Industries, Milwaukee, WI Branch as a commercial construction
glazing supervisor until his retirement in 1980.
Ken married his wife Betty Ann and adopted her young daughter (Nicole) in 1960. In 1961 they had a
son (Mark), and made their home in Hales Corners, Wisconsin for over 20 years. In 1984, they moved to
Greenfield, WI where Ken served as president of a large condominium association comprised of 120
independent homes. In 2007 they moved to Rochester, Minnesota.
Throughout his long and storied life, Ken was an extremely kind, caring, and ever-curious man who was
always willing to lend a hand or provide a measured dose of wisdom. He was an avid golfer in
retirement, and truly loved nature and animals. He was a great father and was always there for his
family, both domestic and abroad. Ken’s spirit continues as his family holds on to his insights of how to
live a good, decent, and fulfilling life. We were all blessed to have had him in our lives.
Ken is survived by his son, Dr. Mark Hoffmeyer (Mary Luehne) of Rochester, MN; his daughter, Nicole
Terracall of Point Lonsdale, Australia; his granddaughter, Kali Biase-McInally (Daniel) of Rippleside,
Australia; and his two great grandchildren, Odelia and Xavier Biase-McInally.
A private honors ceremony will be held for Ken at the State Veteran’s Cemetery in Preston, MN at a
future date.
The family would like to thank the Madonna Living community and Mayo Clinic care teams for the
support and love they gave Ken and his family, and his Rochester, MN Tee Court neighbors who truly
enriched the latter years of his life.
Memorials can be sent in honor of Ken to The Zollman Zoo, Oxbow Park or The Nature Conservancy.
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