Sharon K. Hoffman, 80, of Lincoln passed away June 15, 2021. Born May 3, 1941, in Bayard, NE to Henry and Lydia (Rein) Buchhammer.
Sharon was retired from the State of Nebraska working as an Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of State.
Sharon was a Bayard girl who wanted to go places, meet people, and make an impression. She did all of that, and more; but she was always proud of where she came from.
Her working life initially took her to Washington, D.C., where she was briefly a secretary at the CIA. She returned to the Midwest and got married, had two boys, and moved back to the east coast, to New Jersey. She lived there with her first husband, Jerry Hoffman, for eight years before landing in Nebraska once again, but this time for good. Lincoln became her home after a divorce. Then she started working at the Capitol, however, and that’s where she found a home away from home for many years. Working in the office of the Secretary of State, she thrived, especially in her role as the caretaker of the legislature’s rules and regulations. The clicking of her high heels up and down those marble hallways was as regular and dependable as Nebraska’s football rivalry with Oklahoma in those days. She looked great; she felt useful; and she was proud to be a part of the legislative process, if in a small way. She had a presence. In retirement, that presence morphed into a gregariousness that allowed her to treat any stranger like an old friend. People loved meeting her.
Sharon loved her family fiercely – both the one she was born into and the one she made with her sons. Was there family drama? Of
course there was. But that sort of thing is like poetry: no one can make it through life without even a little. Sharon made it all the way to 80, which exceeded the expectations of many. She made it through the pandemic, despite extreme social isolation. And she died peacefully, apparently without much pain. She was nothing if not tenacious. In the end, she was loved for that tenacity, as well as for her big heart, her sense of style, and her wonderful sense of humor. She laughed and sang right up to the end, and maybe beyond.
Family members include her sons Jerry (Tammi) Hoffman, Lincoln, NE, and Brad (Jana) Hoffman, Portland, OR; grandchildren Chloe, Eli and Ezra; 7 great-grandchildren; sister Vonnie Schmunk, Scottsbluff, NE.
Preceded in death by her parents, sisters Jan Ehly and Mitch Robinson.
Public Graveside Service: 10:00 a.m. Saturday (6-19-21) Calvary Cemetery, 3880 L Street.
Memorials to donor’s charity of choice.
No Visitation