Jack Hoffman (1933-2022)

HOFFMAN, HAUSER, ZENOR

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 3/23/2022 at 12:14:01

Jack Hoffman, age 88, formerly of Horicon, Wisconsin, passed away March 21, 2022, in Mount Vernon Iowa. Interment will be later at Rose Lawn Cemetery in Moline, Illinois. As requested by Jack, there will be no visitation or funeral service. Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services is assisting the family with arrangements.
Jack was born March 24, 1933, in Davenport Iowa, the son of John and Edith (Hauser) Hoffman of Moline. He graduated from Moline High School in 1951. He attended Iowa State College and graduated in 1956. He received a Military commission of 2nd lieutenant in the Signal Corps and served in the Army Reserves for 6 years. He married Carita Zenor on March 24, 1956, in Ames, Iowa.
Jack started working at age 8 collecting magazines and newspapers for WWII scrap drives. At 12, he started working at a local grocery store and worked there for several years. He was a Boy Scout and served as a Scout Camp Quarter Master for several summers. During his high school years, he worked for the Moline Whizzer Motor Bike Dealer as a mechanic.
Jack started at John Deere Spreader Works in East Moline as an engineer in June of 1956. In April of 1967, he transferred to John Deere Horicon Works as a Division Engineer for Lawn and Garden Equipment. During the next 20 years in was involved in a variety of products including lawn and garden tractors, snowmobiles, chain saws, bicycles, and other related products. He was a member of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers and the Society of Automotive Engineers.
Jack had a lifelong interest in all forms of mechanical transportation especially automobiles. He was a member of the following car clubs: Antique Automobile Club of America, Lincoln Owner’s Club, Cadillac LaSalle Club, Velie Owner’s Club, Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club, and the Classic Car Club of America. Jack served three terms on the National CCCA Board of Directors. These clubs allowed him to travel to all 50 states and overseas. He especially enjoyed driving his 1941 Cadillac convertible coupe on many of the weeklong tours. His antique car specialty was restoring Cadillac’s from the 1940’s.
In 1975, Jack purchased a former Chrysler/Plymouth building in Horicon which for the next 39 years was used for his antique car hobby, his collections of antique coin operated machines and auto and oil memorabilia.
Jack is survived by his children Diane (Tim) Legore of Mount Vernon, Iowa, Jack (Julie) of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, Susan (Leigh) Jenison of Sussex. Wisconsin, and Scott (Cathy) of West Bend, Wisconsin. He is survived by a brother David (Loretta) of Moline, Illinois. Jack is also survived by ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Carita; his brother, Alan; and one granddaughter, Lena Jenison.