Reinhardt “Rheiny” Hofmann, 97
Reinhardt “Rheiny” Charles Hofmann, 97, formerly of Freeman, S.D., passed away peacefully on May 27 at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in Mt. Lake, Minn. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, June 7 at 10:30 a.m. at Bethany Mennonite church of Freeman. Visitation will be from 5-7 pm on Friday, June 6 at the church.
Rheiny was a beloved husband, father and grandfather. He dedicated much time to his numerous vehicles he had over the years, with his 1973 Chevy C10 being his most memorable. A lot of time was spent in the vehicle with Rheiny over the years whether it was just him and Susie taking a drive to visit friends, or Rheiny taking any one of the grandkids to Ampride for a treat. He will be deeply missed by his family and friends, but we look forward to the day we see him again.
Rheiny was born on Dec. 27, 1927 in Medina, N.D., to Karl Jacob and Elizabeth (Ochsner) Hofmann. He was the 14th of 15 children to Karl and Elizabeth. His mother and baby sister (Elizabeth) passed away in 1929 during childbirth. He was adopted by his uncle and aunt, Christian and Justina (Tschetter) Hofmann, becoming the 8th child in their family.
After the 9th grade, he quit school to help out on the farm. From 1952-1954, he served in the United States Army in Germany during the Korean War. After serving in the army, he farmed around Bridgewater, S.D., and Freeman.
On Feb. 24, 1958, he married Susie Wipf in Luverne, Minn. He was baptized on Oct. 1, 1961 at Bethany Mennonite Church, where he grew in his faith and retained as a member. They lived in rural Bridgewater and Freeman, until they settled in Freeman along with their two sons, Perry and Preston.
Rheiny was a gifted singer, he sang at several weddings. From 1969 to 1978 he worked as a custodian at Bethany Mennonite Church in Freeman. In 1984 he quit farming and worked at AMPI (Associated Milk Producers Inc). When he retired from AMPI in 1991, he worked in the Post Office as a custodian. In 2004, he and Susie moved to Mountain Lake, Minn., where he worked part time at Bethel Mennonite Church. Almost every morning he went for coffee at Ampride in Freeman and Cenex in Mountain Lake. He and Susie often volunteered at the local food shelf in Mt. Lake and drove Susie wherever she wanted to go.
In 2010, they moved to Yankton, S.D., where Rheiny and Susie volunteered at the local food shelf, senior dining and enjoyed time spent going for coffee and meeting up with different family and friends nearby. After Preston passed away, he moved to Parkwood Apartments in Mountain Lake. He brought joy and laughter to the tenants. He moved to Good Samaritan Village, where he continued to bring joy and laughter to the residents and employees. Duke, the facility dog, became buddies with him, allowing him to get up on the couch only when Rheiny was sitting on it.
Rheiny is survived by his son, Perry (Cheryl), Mountain Lake; daughter-in-law Penny Hofmann, Yankton; grandchildren: Patricia (Robert) Bartell, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Elizabeth (Avery) Thiessen, Butterfield, Minn.; Katherine (Bryan) Bustamante, Maple Plain, Minn.; Victoria Hofmann, Owatonna, Minn.; Christina Hofmann, Sioux Falls; Laurisa Hofmann, Bloomfield, Neb.; Joey Hofmann, Yankton; and Shauna (Zach) Hespe, Yankton; great-grandchildren: Eli, Owen, and Liam Bartell, Elena and Mateo Bustamante, Kaydence Schmidt, Quenten Waddell, Jude Hofmann, Aria Hill, and Ella Hespe, step-grandson Kenny (Jess) Jenson and their children, Krystianha, Savannah, Lucas, Korbin and Kenslee.
Rheiny is preceded in death by his parents, adoptive parents, siblings, wife Susie, and son Preston.
