Frances Skiba Hoffmann

1923 - 2020

Frances Skiba Hoffmann, a WW II Marine Corps veteran and one of the oldest female Marines, died March 24 at age 96 due to the coronavirus. She was buried March 30 at Garden of Memories. A Memorial Mass will be held at a future date. She resided at Lambeth House for the past nine years and will be missed by her close knit neighbors, friends, and the women of the Molly Marine Chapter LA-1 of the Women Marine Association. Frances was born in Milwaukee, Wis. in 1923 to Russian immigrants. She graduated from high school in 1941. In 1942 she answered the call for women to take jobs in factories. Frances worked at factory that worked 24 hrs. a day making milling machines. In 1943, the Marine Corps opened a recruiting office in Milwaukee. Frances wrote in a paper, "Why the Marine Corps? Marine were known to be "Peace Time Warriors." Marines are unique because they have been and will always be volunteers." Boot training for 400 women was at Hunter College in New York, after which she reported to Camp Lejeune, N.C. for Boot Camp. Her first job as a Marine was with the Aircraft Salvage Yard at Cherry Point, N.C., assisting mechanics stripping damaged fighter planes for parts to be used again. Frances took classes for oversea duty, intense training with firearms and water survival, she was off to Hawaii, assigned to Fleet Marine Corps Headquarters. She was an IBM systems operator for troop movements and supplies for combat Marines. At the end of the war, she assigned POW's and rehab patients with air transportation to the States instead of ships. In Nov. 1945 she returned to California by ship, took a 7 day train ride to Washington, D.C., and was discharged Dec. 7, 1945. After their marriage in 1946 in Lyons, Wis., Frances and Hank lived in New Orleans where she worked for Hibernia Bank for more than 30 years. She was the first female officer and Vice-President in the small loan department, quite impressive for a woman from the North during the '50's in the South. Sgt. Frances Hoffmann, Ret., volunteered at the D-Day Museum and was later employed by them. Besides her employment, she gave talks to the visitors about her time in the Marine Corps, her donated uniform, foot locker, and many pictures she had taken during her time in the service. The Museum has on file a 30 mins. video interview with Frances about her experiences as a Woman Marine. Frances was preceded in death by her husband of 40 years, Henry Keating Hoffmann, parents, Joseph and Helen Skiba, half-brothers Tony Shook (Gladys), John Zerofsky (Sue), and sisters Ann Zar (Ted), Mary Morgan (Jim), and Esther Neitzke (Bud). She is survived by Michael Hoffmann (Kitty) Glendale, Wis., Michael Neitzke (Wendy), Greenfield, Wis. plus nieces and nephews scattered around the country. Online condolences may be offered at www.gardenofmemoriesmetairie.com.