James Edwin Hoffman

James Edwin Hoffman, 86, passed away on December 26, 2022 in Fort Mill SC.

He was the son of the late Edwin Charles Hoffman and the late Frances Josephine (McGraw) Hoffman. Jim grew up in Cumberland MD, where he excelled on the football and basketball teams at Allegany High School, and met and dated Nancy Ann Wilson. Jim and Nancy married in 1957; they celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in August. After high school, Jim attended the University of Richmond, where he played football and graduated in 1958 with a BA in Political Science. Through the ROTC program, Jim was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army infantry and posted to Fort Benning GA where he attended the Basic Infantry Officer Course and the Airborne and Ranger School. Jim was then assigned to the 3rd Armored Rifle Battalion 50th Infantry in Germany, where he and his young family lived for over 3 years. Returning to the US in 1962, Jim completed the Infantry Officers Career Course at Fort Benning. He then joined the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg NC and served as a Special Forces advisor in Viet Nam in 1964.

In April 1965, Jim was appointed a Special Agent of the FBI, where he worked proudly for 22 years. He served in Detroit MI; Newark NJ; and the Red Bank NJ Resident Agency, and was a supervisor in the latter two posts. He was also a SWAT team member and firearms instructor. After retiring from the FBI in 1987, Jim was active in the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI. Jim then worked briefly at the New York Times before accepting a position as Security Manager at Merck and Co. Inc. in Rahway NJ, retiring from Merck in 1994. Jim and his wife, Nancy were residents of Fair Haven NJ for over 50 years, and lived in Monmouth County NJ for more than 55 years, before recently moving to SC. Jim was a long-time parishioner of the Church of the Nativity in Fair Haven NJ. He loved his family, travel, gardening (he and his wife maintained a Fair Haven community garden plot continuously for more than 40 years), sports (Jim completed many marathons, all over the country), music (he was at one time a season ticket holder to the Metropolitan Opera), and books (he served as president of the Fair Haven Public library for many years). He was a faithful fan at his sons' and then his grandchildren's football, soccer, basketball, or baseball games. Perhaps most of all, Jim loved conversing with family and friends - preferably accompanied by a good meal and decent wine. And you did not have to be immediate family or a close friend for Jim to greet you warmly, ask about you and yours, and be genuinely interested in what you had to say. Jim had a real interest in and concern for other people.

Jim was predeceased in death in addition to his family, by his sister, Elizabeth Jean Hess. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Nancy Ann (Wilson) Hoffman; sons, Kyle (Deborah) Hoffman of San Diego CA, and Kevin (Kathleen) Hoffman, of Fort Mill SC; two grandchildren, Lindsey Hoffman (Greg Beninato) and Connor Hoffman (Kelsea Studer); his brother-in-law, John E. Hess; his sister Jean's children, John (Tracey) Hess, Ursula Sauter (Marc), and James (Erin) Hess.

Funeral arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers please consider donations to the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI Foundation, information here: https://socxfbi.org/SFSA/SFSA/Donate/Donate.aspx or to the Fair Haven Public Library, 748 River Road, Fair Haven NJ 07704, in memory of James E. Hoffman.