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ROBERT "BOB" JOSEPH Age 82, longtime resident of Albuquerque, went to be with the Lord on Sunday, May 30, 2011. He is survived by his sons Kevin Hoffman and wife Dawn of Albuquerque, Kiel Hoffman and wife Darby of Las Cruces; daughter Holly Torres of Albuquerque; nine grandchildren Kris, Tarin, Bekah, Tim, Kileigh, Sidney, Tori, Brandon, and Colton; and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded by his parents Arthur and Julia (Hogan) Hoffman and his wife Jerry (Foster) Hoffman. Bob was born in Binghamton, New York in 1928 and proudly served in the United States Air Force in the Korean Conflict and eventually was stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, NM where he met his wife Jerry. They married 3 weeks later on September 23, 1950. Thousands of New Mexicans have jobs thanks to Bob Hoffman. His unwavering effort to bring industry and employment to the state began in 1950, when he moved to Alamogordo as an Armed Forces Radio broadcaster with a knack for building business. Hoffman was tapped to head the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce, and went on to lead chambers in Portales, Roswell and Albuquerque. His name became legend in Roswell, which was shattered by the loss of Walker Air Force Base in the late 1960's. Hoffman was state economic development secretary and tourism director under former Gov. Jack Campbell. He recruited dozens of companies to New Mexico and raised tens of millions of dollars for countless economic efforts, from bond campaigns to business conferences. He was chairman of the state Economic Development Commission and a founder of the Kirtland Partnership Committee and the New Mexico Industrial Development Executive Association. His many honors included the Steve Schiff Award for commitment to the military and the state's first Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service. Along the way, Bob became known as the "Dean of Economic Development" in New Mexico. For 25 years he headed up the influential Albuquerque Economic Forum, a group of more than 100 of the city's key business leaders whose goal was to promote economic development and community development. Hoffman opened every meeting by saying "It's another beautiful day in the Land of Enchantment". It was a Hoffman trademark; an upbeat attitude which helped make New Mexico a great place to live. Funeral Services will be 10:00 am on Monday, June 6, 2011 at Eastern Hills Baptist Church; 3100 Morris Blvd NE. Interment will follow with full military honors at Santa Fe National Cemetery at 2:15 pm. Friends may visit French Funeral and Cremations, Lomas Chapel from 5:00 -7:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 5, 2011. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Leadership New Mexico; P.O. Box 35696 Albuquerque, NM 87176. Please visit our online guestbook for Robert at RememberTheirStory.com FRENCH 10500 Lomas Blvd. NE (505) 275-3500
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