Paul J. Hoffman, 80, of Fairbury, fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church died peacefully at 5:20 a.m. on Tuesday, January 12, at Heritage Healthcare, Normal, Illinois.

His funeral will be at 10:00 am Saturday, January 16, 2016 at St. Andrew's Catholic Church, Fairbury with Fr. Scott Archer officiating. Burial will be in St. John's Catholic Cemetery, Fairbury with full military rites accorded by the Fairbury VFW and American Legion posts. Visitation will be 4:00 to 8:00 pm Friday at Duffy –Pils Memorial Home, Fairbury with a rosary to be recited at 3:30pm. The family suggests memorials be given to the St. John's Catholic Cemetery Fund or SELCAS, both of Fairbury.

Paul was born on March 17, 1935, in Fairbury, to Louis M. and Veronica M. (Winslow) Hoffman. He married Carol A. Smith on August 14, 1965, in Bloomington, IL. She survives.
Paul is also survived by his children Janet (Neil) Mathis, Geneseo; Keith (Kelli) Hoffman, Irving, Texas; Michael (Toni) Hoffman, Cottleville, MO; and grandchildren Joshua Mathis, Geneseo; Karis, Sydney and Nathan Hoffman, Irving, TX, and Anna, Kate, Zachary, Greta, Elizabeth and William Hoffman, Cottleville, MO; sister, Peg Hoffman, Champaign, IL; brother, Robert (Sally) Hoffman, Fort Washington, MD; sister-in-law Pam Hoffman, Savoy, IL; sister-in-law Barbara (Dr. Robert) McEntyre, Bloomington, IL; sister-in-law Mary (Loren) Novak, Brookfield, IL; and sister-in-law Margaret Smith, Bloomington, IL.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother John Hoffman; sister-in-law Barbara Hoffman; nephew Mark Hoffman; parents-in-law John and Ann Smith; and brother-in-law John Smith.

Paul attended St. Mary's Catholic Grade School, Pontiac, and graduated from Avoca Township Country Grade School before attending Fairbury-Cropsey High School (FCHS) and graduating in the class of 1953. In high school, Paul was an exceptional athlete in football and baseball where he was a multi-year varsity letter winner in both. He was a member of the 1950 undefeated football team and held the record for kick return with a run of 97 long, slow yards. At FCHS, Paul was Junior Editor and Editor of the yearbook, The Crier; a trumpet and coronet player in the marching and concert bands; involved in the school plays; and an active member of the FFA, receiving both the Chapter Farmer and State Farmer degrees.

Paul served in the U.S. Army for two years. He rose to Private First Class and was an Army radar operator, stationed at Norfolk, Virginia, Naval Base.

He attended Illinois State Normal University (ISNU) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying agriculture at both institutions. He was a walk-on member of the ISNU football team. A life-long lover and participant in sports, Paul played mens' fastpitch softball and baseball for more than 20 years, primarily catching for teams like the Fairbury Merchants, Forrest Merchants and M&W Gear. He also was an avid bowler in both the Classic Men's League and the Mixed Leagues at the Old Susannah Bowling Lanes, which is where he met his wife, Carol.

Paul was a fourth generation farmer for most of his life on the family farm in Avoca Township. Although he raised many types of livestock throughout his career, his favorite was always his beef cattle. He was an innovative grain farmer, adopting no-till farming practices long before they were mainstream, and was a member of the Livingston County and Illinois Farm Bureaus.

He remained an active member of the church his great-grandparents helped establish, St. John the Baptist in Fairbury, until his death. He was a parish trustee, a member of the parish council, church usher, parish hall building committee member, and advocate of and staunch worker in maintaining the church's cemetery. Paul was a Third Degree member of the Knights of Columbus.

Paul was also active in his community. He served 8 years on the Fairbury-Cropsey School Board, ending his terms as the board president and also was the FCHS alumni president. He served on the board of directors of Fairbury Federal Savings & Loan and its successor institutions Citizens' Savings and Loan and Busey Bank. He volunteered for Meals on Wheels; the Fairbury Food Pantry; Prairie Farmers 4-H Club, as a member and then later a parent; and the Fairbury Community Sale. He was an Avoca Cemetery trustee. Paul was a baseball coach for his own sons and many other young men in the Fairbury area for well-over a decade. He firmly supported his own children in each of their endeavors throughout their lives, attending every sporting event, music recital, school play, honor banquet, pageant and other activities they were involved in. This carried forward with his grandchildren, where he came to appreciate the other futbol game, soccer.

One of the founding members of Southern Valley Hunting Club in Marion, IL, Paul was the President of the Board of Directors. He strongly supported Second Amendment Rights and was a life-long member of the National Rifle Association.

Paul's greatest regret was not being able to complete college, and he made it one of his top priorities to see that all three of his children did, with all of them graduating from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He enjoyed working with his hands where he came up with solutions to farm problems using his welder, elbow grease and a lot of ingenuity; loved getting together with the guys at the round table at the Grey Goose, R.D.'s and McDonald's Family Restaurant for coffee and catching up on local activities; collecting coins; and playing euchre as a frequent guest to Knoll Lodge and with his children and oldest grandson, Josh, as their teacher, mentor and friend.

Most of all, Paul loved his family and the time he got to spend with Carol, their children and grandchildren, his siblings, in-laws and their families. And we love you – you'll never know just how much.

Paul's family invites anyone who knew Paul to send their (true) stories about Paul to them either by mail, by email or through Facebook. And remember, Paul can't reciprocate with his own stories about you.