James R. Hoffman

Obituary
James Robert Hoffman, 44, passed away unexpectedly in the early hours of November 1, 2022. He was born on May 14, 1978 in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Robert and Janet Hoffman. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Kristen Hoffman, together for almost 30 years and married for 21, their children, Katie, Bradley, Ben, Sarah and Henry, his parents Robert and Janet, his sisters and brothers in law, Joanne and Keith Broekhuizen, Deborah and Rick Schuitema, Cathy and James Dobbs, Ruth and Sam Oltz and father and mother in law Tom and Cheryl Ball, and sisters and brothers in law Jason and Emily Ball, Brian and Lauren Ball, Erin and Paul Broersma and many, many, many nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, cousins, and second cousins.
James lived most of his life in West Michigan, a place that he loved for the seasons and the proximity to the beaches. He did live for two years with his family as missionaries in a compound outside of Monrovia, Liberia where he attended ELWA elementary school. The time for him was a rich and unique experience. He graduated from Grand Rapids Baptist High School, he attended Grand Rapids Community College and earned his BA from Western Michigan University in English Education. Going through school he consistently worked in the restaurant business for Millennium Restaurant Group and eventually was promoted to Manager at "The Union" restaurant in Kalamazoo. While working there, he was recruited to work for Great Lakes Wine and Spirits, a Michigan wine distribution firm. He eventually was able to change his route responsibilities to Grand Rapids and was later promoted to District Manager. Wherever he worked, he was always held in high esteem regarding his character, charisma, and leadership.
James loved his family. He still had the little boy quality of loving play, especially with legos. He had a downstairs storeroom filled with legos. He loved Christmas. He loved to go to Hawaii with Kristen. He loved the beach. He loved getting together with his sisters and enjoyed (mostly) the chaos of packs of children noisily running around. He loved art. He loved music and concerts. He loved books. He was a great encourager. His passion was to make people laugh and be happy. He was greatly appreciated by his own family, his extended family, and all who knew him. He was greatly loved, and he will be missed until we will be reunited at the resurrection.
The family will greet relatives and friends for a visitation on Sunday at the Metcalf and Jonkhoff Funeral Home from 2-4 & 6-8pm. A celebration of his life will be held at 11am on Monday November 7, 2022 at Ada Bible Church, 8899 Cascade Rd. SE, Ada, MI 49301.
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