Submitted by his wife

December 8‚ 1952 – June 5‚ 2004

Larry Hoffman was a loving and dedicated husband‚ father‚ brother‚ son‚ and friend. He had a heart as big as the forests he protected. He was just a kid from Detroit‚ Michigan‚ who found his passion in a career as a Forester in the great Pacific Northwest.

He was a Unit Protection Supervisor for the Oregon Department of Forestry. He dedicated the last twenty-eight years of his life to protecting the trees and lands of Oregon from wildfire. He did everything from manning hose and digging fire line to working behind the scenes ordering and managing the fire crews‚ air support‚ equipment‚ and doing fire investigation for some of Oregon’s most notorious wildfires. He never gave less than 100%. He never complained when the fire fight went from hours to days‚ and from days to weeks. He won the admiration and respect of colleagues and land owners‚ as well as the many fire agencies he worked so closely with.

In the end‚ he gave his life to his passion‚ dying suddenly while taking the Fire Fighter Pack Test on June 5‚ 2004.

He was an easy man to love and respect‚ and he gave that respect and love back without hesitation. Although our hearts remain broken by losing him so soon‚ our memories bring each one of us peace‚ love‚ and laughter.

His legacy for the care and protection of our Forests will live on thanks to all of those family‚ friends‚ and colleagues‚ who have come together to establish and build The Larry Hoffman Memorial Scholarship through Oregon State University’s School of Forestry.

How humble‚ but proud‚ Larry would be‚ as am I‚ by the endless outpouring of love by so many; for who he was and what he stood for‚ he will never be forgotten.