Gregory Hoffmann

Gregory Hoffmann, 60
    SOUTH PORTLAND -- Gregory Hoffmann, 60, of South Portland, died in his home last Friday of stomach cancer. Greg was born in the Bronx, raised in Brooklyn, and moved to Needham, Mass. when he was a teenager. When he returned from serving in Vietnam, he resided in Boston, marrying Elizabeth Beecher in 1973. In 1989, they moved to Maine where they bought a house in South Portland and finished raising the last two of their four children.
     Greg worked at various professions, most recently as a cab driver in Boston, until August of 2005 when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
     Greg loved music and was known for his beautiful singing voice. Greg will also be remembered for his quick and sharp humor, his honesty, his devotion to his family, and his love of gardening, cooking, football, and the movies. Some of his favorite days were spent gardening in his own backyard, and then firing up the grill for a family meal, watching the Giants with his kids, or catching a matinee with Betsy.
     Greg was a Buddhist practitioner and a student of the late Tibetan teacher, Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, as is Betsy. From the onset of his illness, they have been an example of accepting each day with exertion and gratitude. They have been a source of strength to those around them for these many months.
     Greg is survived by his wife, Betsy Beecher; his daughter, Greer Hoffmann of St. Petersburg, Fla.; his son, Ward Hoffmann of Portland; stepdaughters, Ellen Martel and her partner Susan Matteson of Bailey Island, and Amy Martel and her husband, Bill Melcher and their daughter Venice Melcher of San Francisco; and his brother, Evan Hoffmann of Boynton Beach, Fla.
     A small Buddhist memorial service, called a Sukhavati, will be held at the Brunswick Shambhala Center in Brunswick.
    In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Brunswick Shambhala Center in his name.