Richard Hoffman, director of the Partners in Context ‘amp; Community, died this morning at 11:05 at The Toledo Hospital. He was 62.
According to a source close to the Hoffman family, Hoffman went to bed Monday night with a headache and didn’t wake up. His wife immediately called the ambulance but Hoffman never regained consciousness.
Since Wednesday, several journal entries were posted on caringbridge.com, a Web site his family is using to communicate any updates with students and friends. The entries said it was Hoffman’s wishes to not remain on life support and the family kept him on life support until yesterday because Wednesday was one of his grandchildren’s birthday.
His death came as a shock to the PCC community in Kohl Hall who loved him very much, said Gail Brinker, colleague and close friend of the Hoffman family.
‘He was the kindest, most dedicated person I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,’ Brinker said. ‘He always stayed student centered.’
‘In truth, I enjoy just about everything about being an instructor at BG,’ Hoffman said in his biography on the Honors program Web page. ‘The students I work with are optimistic and strongly directed toward creating good futures for themselves and others.’
Junior Dylan Bryan said Hoffman always had a genuine interest in his student’s lives, as well as their education.
‘Just knowing he was doing more than just teaching, but educating us, always made me more inspired to try,’ he said.
PCC student Katherine Houvouras said he was one of the most caring people she had ever met.
‘Whether teaching or just being a friend he was compassionate, loving, generous, dedicated and extremely kind,’ Houvouras said. ‘He refused to let anyone fail whether it was in his classroom or at a challenge in life. He did all he could to relate his lessons to students interests, even if it meant making himself look a little foolish.’
Hoffman started in PCC, a learning community housed in Kohl Hall, fall of 2007 after having taught English at Toledo’s Woodward High School for 34 years.
While at Woodward, he also served as chairperson for the English department for over 20 years. In addition to teaching, he served as a part-time instructor at BGSU for 30 years teaching English composition courses and some sections for the Honors Program.
