Tom Hoffman passed away peacefully at home on October 6th after a long illness, with family at his bedside. Born on December 4, 1938, he was the son of Carl and Stella Hoffman in Monroe. He graduated from Catholic Central in 1956. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy where after boot camp, he went to mine warfare school in Yorktown VA. He was sent to Hawaii after graduation where he worked in underwater demolitions. In 1958 he deployed on the USS Lawrence County LST 887 as a diver to participate in the Marshall Islands nuclear weapons testing. After returning to Hawaii he was subsequently assigned to the USS Yorktown in the special weapons unit.

Upon discharge, he returned to Monroe where he managed his parents’ store, Hoffman’s Market. He joined the Sheriff Department shortly thereafter. Tom married his current wife, Marta VanAken, in 1977. They would have been married 50 years this coming April.

During his tenure at the Sheriff’s Department, he held positions including deputy, detective, and K-9 handler with his stated best partner ever, Mace. They were featured in a national magazine at the time. Together, they apprehended several felons, found missing children, and enjoyed a great family life with his first wife, Betty, and their three children.

Tom was promoted to Sergeant, responsible for heading the road patrol squad that Tom bragged was the best squad ever. He was promoted to Lieutenant after scoring highest on testing and later to Captain. Tom was awarded Officer of the Year twice during his tenure with the department. He also served on the pistol team and served as a union steward for the command officers.

Upon retiring from the department, Tom was elected Constable in Frenchtown Township and held that position for several years until retiring for health reasons. In 2024, Tom was awarded a gold service medal and recognition from the U.S. Dept. of Defense (Secretary of Defense), thanking him for his service during top secret (at that time) nuclear testing in the early Vietnam era days which exposed him and his fellow servicemen to dangerous levels of radiation; ultimately leading to serious health issues later in life.

Tom enjoyed watching his children and grandchildren play sports and at one point, was given the title of “Number One Fan” of the Ida Varsity Softball Team when his daughter was a coach there. He was an advocate for the members of the sheriff department while there and after retirement, spent considerable time advocating for retiree health care benefits.

Tom enjoyed traveling to his Navy reunions frequently over the last twenty-five years and was active with the US Navy Association of Minemen. He served on its Board of Directors for several years.

Tom is survived by his wife Marta, his children Tommy (Dana) Hoffman, Cheryl Hoffman, Cheri Hoffman (John Cannon); two granddaughters, Molly Hoffman and Samantha Hoffman (Gabriel Garcia), and two great grandsons as well as in-laws Stephen (Diana) VanAken, Joel (Joann) VanAken and Paul (Tammi) VanAken.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Dorothy Hoffman.

Visitation will be held from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11th at Bacarella Funeral Home where services will begin at 11 a.m. on Monday. Members of the Monroe VFW Post 1138 Ritual Team will offer military honors followed by Chaplain Mark McCaskill of the Monroe County Sheriff Department.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Wounded Warrior Project https://www.Wounded Warrior Project

The family wishes to thank the staff of Hospice of Northwest Ohio for the excellent care and support they provided over the last two years with special thanks to Melissa, Chrissy, and Arianna.

Online condolences and special memories may be shared with the family by visiting the obituary page at www.bacarellafuneralhome.com.