Matt Hofmann, 45
After a lifetime of making this world a better place, on March 12, 2023, Matt Hofmann sighed a final time and left his earthly body to embark on whatever magnificent journey awaits in the Beyond. His family suspects there will be mountain biking, trampolining and sending love to, well, everyone. Because that's exactly who he was.
Matt was born to Patricia and Lawrence Hofmann on March 24, 1977, then pursued a childhood of the typical antics: Playing every sport possible, taking repeat rides on roller coasters, and a brief fixation on parachute pants. In his defense, everyone wore them then.
While at high school in Temperance, Mich., he met the enduring love of his life, Lisha, and they embarked on building a future together. Matt went to culinary school (developing a set of skills that would make him a favorite at dinner parties) and eventually obtained a degree in hospitality management at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids.
The pair made a few poor geographical decisions (Detroit, Cleveland) before making their way via Boulder, Colo., to Sandpoint, Idaho, where they raised their two daughters, Kaiya and Rowan. On their homestead in the Selle Valley, they adventured in yurt-life, gardening and doing things the hard way (a favorite pastime of Matt's).
Matt wove himself into the fabric of our community through his kind acts and generous spirit. He rode his bike with friends, got obsessed with volleyball for a good while, danced with his wife at all the best concerts, and played and played and played with his daughters, teaching them the important gifts of time, care and love in all its iterations.
Wherever Matt went, he touched the hearts and lives of those around him — from his years of service as director of lodging at Schweitzer, to other families at Waldorf, to those he met through his dedicated meditation practice (which he was sure to encourage in others for all random purposes).
Matt lived a life of love and optimism that he willingly dispensed to family, friend or stranger. His steadfast presence, his deep care for the well-being of others, and his abundant heart have left their mark on the lives of all those who knew him. He lives on in our memories, in at least one tattoo, and in the way he demonstrated how to be a remarkable human. May we live up to his example.
Matt is mourned by his wife, Lisha; their daughters, Kaiya and Rowan; by his parents, Pat and Larry; by his aunt and uncle, Claudia and Richard; by his in-laws, Jodi and Garry; by his sister-in-law and nephew, Julie and Calem; and by everyone who ever had the good fortune to cross his path.
Services will be held May 21 at Schweitzer Mountain Resort.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Community Cancer Services.