Gerry Ann Hoffman

Gerry Ann (Wright) Hoffman passed on to be with her Lord and Savior on Friday, December 5, 2025, surrounded by enormous amounts of love delivered by her family.
Gerry was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas C. Hoffman, in 2016. His obituary spoke in terms of him being one of the principal architects of Erie's post-World War II renewal. In his endeavors, Gerry was his steadfast partner, supporting his efforts in holding down the homefront.
More than just taking care of business at home, Gerry shared her unbounding, unconditional love with her children, extended family, and more friends than can be recounted here.
An often overused phrase "she never met a stranger" is accurate for Gerry. If she did not know you outright, she was always confident she could find a connection if she just had enough time to talk to you. If no connection could be made, that was not an issue, she would just make you a new friend and establish a connection.
Family, of course, was the focal point of Gerry's life. Her grandparents, parents, eight brothers and sisters, three children, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren all intimately felt her love and compassion.
To know Gerry was to experience Gerry. Perhaps the best example of the "Gerry experience" can be appreciated by a story related to us by a friend and fellow Saint Mary's resident. A couple months after Gerry took up residency at Saint Mary's, the resident proclaimed, much has changed at Saint Mary's since your mother has arrived. Asked how, she explained, after dinner, most residents would retire to their rooms or their homes. Within several weeks after Gerry's arrival, most residents would gather in the Saint Mary's common area to talk and visit rather than quickly returning to their rooms or home. The resident attributed this to Gerry's engaging in conversations with numerous residents after dinner. The resident concluded our conversation by suggesting that, things had changed so much for the better after dinner, Saint Mary's should pay Gerry for the entertainment value and goodwill that began to occur after dinner.
Gerry was not just outgoing and compassionate, she was also strong. She persevered twice through the most tragic events a parent can experience-the death of a child. First was the death of her infant daughter, Heidi A. Hoffman. Second was the death of her beloved daughter, Second Lieutenant Christine M. Hoffman, in August of 1987 in a commercial airline crash in Detroit. It was not easy; nothing was perfect, but Gerry and her husband Tom pulled together to ensure their family made it through the tragedies.
Gerry graduated from Saint Peter's Cathedral grade school, was a lifelong member of Saint Peter's Cathedral Church, and a proud graduate of Villa Maria Academy in 1953.
Gerry is survived by her children, Aimee A. Moore (John) and Thomas C. Hoffman, II (Paula), and grandchildren, John P. Moore, Christopher C. Moore, Christine N. Hoffman, Paul R. Hoffman, and Thomas C. Hoffman, III, and six great-grandchildren.
The staff at Saint Mary's home each deserve a first place trophy for their tireless efforts to make Gerry's stay at Saint Mary's as pleasant as possible. The same also holds true for the staff of UPMC Hospice.
Visiting hours will be Thursday, December 11th, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at Brugger Funeral Homes & Crematory, 1595 West 38th Street. The funeral mass will be on Friday, December 12th, at 1:00 pm at Saint Peter Cathedral, 230 West 10th Street. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery after the funeral mass.
In lieu of flowers, the family recommends making gifts to Julia House, Saint Peter's Cathedral, or any other charity.