Grant C. Hoffman

1950 - 2017

Hoffman, Grant C.

Grant C. Hoffman, age 67 of Napa, CA passed away on July 4, 2017 in a boating accident in Monument Bay, Ontario, Canada while doing what he loved—fishing with his best friend. Grant was born on March 21, 1950 in Wausau, WI, the son of Carlton and Janet Hoffman. Married to Catherine Budd Hoffman for 30 years, they had one son, Benjamin, who is now 22 years old.

Grant began his first career in high school, working alongside construction workers in his family's firm, the Hoffman Company, based in Appleton, WI. Following college (UW-Eau Claire; 1973) Grant continued with the company, which built mostly commercial and public buildings at the time. There he rose over the years to the firm's presidency. By the time he left the Hoffman Company, the firm had added an architectural partner and expanded to include residential building, allowing them to both design and build.

After completing an MBA (Arizona State University; 1989) Grant began his second career in finance with Citibank. His early positions there included directing Citibank's credit card operations in Baltimore, MD. Success meant moving, and Grant and his wife moved to San Francisco in the early 1990s so that he could assume responsibilities of setting up Citibank operations there. In 1995, Grant moved on to the rapidly growing Silicon Valley Bank, based in Santa Clara, CA, where he quickly rose to Sr. Vice President for Strategic Planning. While he loved his work there and his colleagues, the pace of Silicon Valley did not allow much time with his toddling son. Rather than leave the bank, he agreed to try financing within the wine industry.

Moving to the Napa Valley, Grant began lending and relationship building with what were mostly family-run wineries and vineyards at the time—people with whom he had much in common. Over time, many of these wineries grew and his clients were or became world leaders in premium wine-making. He excelled in customer relations and loved it. Grant "retired" in 2012 for a year and missed the people so much, he returned to consult in the field, and then when recruited by Bank of the West in Napa (part of BNP Paribas), he returned full-time with no plans of retiring soon.

Grant was an outdoorsman from childhood on; fishing and hunting honed his respect and love of nature. Later golf got under his skin and provided years of frustrating growth. A serious hike was one thing he never said no to on a weekend afternoon at home or while traveling. A seasoned traveler, hiking was always part of the trip, from the Canadian Rockies to the Swiss Alps.

Grant Hoffman is survived by his wife Cathy (Napa, CA) and son Ben (Evanston, IL), his father Carlton Hoffman (Land O'Lakes, WI), one brother Gary (Hugo, MN), and two sisters Bonnie Martineck (husband Gary of Bella Vista, AR) and Carol Burton (husband Bob of Elkhorn, WI). Other family especially dear to him included Rose Hoffman (Madison, WI) and his many nephews and nieces. Grant was preceded in death by his mother, Janet Hoffman.

A "Celebration of his Life" will be held in Madison, WI on July 23, 2017. Another Celebration will be held in Napa, CA in late August. Remembrances can be written and saved on the Cress Funeral Home tribute webpage at http://www.cressfuneralservice.com/obituaries/.