Honoring the Life and Legacy of “Miss Ho man”

Miss Hoffman taught first grade there for 28 years before retiring in 1991. Even in retirement, she was a reading tutor for St. Mary Catholic School (Sycamore) students.

In April 2014, Joan was awarded the Saints and Scholars Award for her years of faithful dedication to the first-grade students of St. Mary’s DeKalb. This special recognition was a proud moment for Joan and a true testament to her teaching career.

Joan Hoffman was born in August of 1927 and was a resident of Sycamore, IL, for most of her life. She was an active member at the Church of St. Mary Sycamore and attended grade school there. She went on to graduate from Sycamore High School and Western Michigan University.

Miss Hoffman, as she was known to her students, began teaching in 1952 at St. Alphonsus Catholic School in Grand Rapids, MI. She taught at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Albuquerque, NM, before returning to Sycamore in 1963 to teach at St. Mary Catholic School (DeKalb).

“We as teachers must develop each child’s potential to its fullest. I pray that I did.”

~ Joan Ho man

Joan Hoffman passed away in 2020. In 2022, through her estate, the Joan L. Hoffman St. Mary DeKalb Scholarship Fund and the John J. and Katherine M. Hoffman Family St. Mary Sycamore Scholarship Fund came into existence.

The Designated Funds are a lasting tribute to Miss Hoffman and the past, present, and future lives she impacts. The endowed Funds will support generations of St. Mary’s students for many years to come.