Wesley Richard Hofer
June 15,1938
- November 5, 2007
Wes was born in Bridgewater, South Dakota on June 15, 1938. He died at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 5th,
2007 from lung cancer and complications caused by the spread of cancer into
bone marrow. A full military burial
will take place at Punchbowl in Honolulu on Thursday, November 15th, at 1:30
p.m.
Wes was
an Air Force pilot and served from 1960 – 1980. He flew reconnaissance airplanes primarily in the pacific
arena in a RC39. He was also
stationed in Europe for four years.
He married Joy on Feb 17, 1968.
They met at a military base.
After
retiring from the Air Force, Wes was employed by Northrop Grumman Aerospace from
1980 – 2002. At Northrop
Grumman, he worked on the B2 Stealth Bomber project.
In
1995, Wes and Joy bought a condo in Kailua Kona and spent vacations in Hawaii
until they retired in 2002. Wes
and Joy then moved to Kailua Kona.
Wes, an avid bridge player, joined the Big Island Bridge unit and played
at the Kona Bridge Club for 5 years.
Wes always made an effort to play with several different partners,
adapting play strategies depending on the partnership. He was a consistent winner at the
club and sectional games in Kailua Kona. He last played on September 10, 2007
pairing with Jim Mills for a 69% game and a first place overall win. Wes had
come to the Kona Bridge Club on the following Tuesday evening to play bridge
and complained about feeling very ill.
He left the bridge club immediately and was placed in the hospital
within two days for diagnosis. Within
a week he was diagnosed with lung cancer and his white blood count was
non-existent. He achieved the
status of Silver Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League.
In
2006, Wes and Joy returned to the mainland for medical treatment for Joy's
illness. They were not aware of
the cancer building in Wes.
Wes is survived by wife, Joy Hofer, of Kailua-Kona; sons, David
(Teara) Hofer, of Henderson, Nev., Wesley (Angela) Hofer Jr., of Santa Maria,
Calif., Philip Hofer, of Lancaster, Calif.; daughter, Cherie Hofer, of Ladera
Heights, Calif.; stepson, Stephen Stewart, of Montrose, Calif.; stepdaughter,
Denise Stewart, of Beatrice, Neb.; brothers, Orville (Irene) Hofer, of
Bridgewater, S.D., Gerald Hofer, of Fayetteville, N.C.; sisters, Verona (Carl)
Young, of Seattle, Connie Hofer, of Glenview, Ill.; five grandchildren; three
great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.