William J. Hoffinger

William Joseph Hoffinger, age 90, of Grand Rapids passed away peacefully on September 19, 2018 surrounded by his family. Bill is survived by his beloved wife of 62 years, Sylvia (Saposnick). He also leaves his children, Alex Hoffinger and his wife Janet of Arlington, MA, Margaret Hoffinger and her husband Jeffrey of Palos Verdes Estates, CA, and Faye Feinstein and her husband Edward of Mendota Heights, MN, and his six grandchildren of whom he was so proud, Michael, Rachel, Benjamin, Jacob, Jonathan and Lily.

Bill was born in New York, NY on August 15, 1928, the son of Philip and Faye Hoffinger. He graduated in 1946 from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, NY, and entered Pratt Institute, also in Brooklyn, where he graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1950. During his career, Bill worked as an engineer for several food and confectionary companies and equipment manufacturers, including M&M/Mars in Pennsylvania and Illinois, Peter Paul/Cadbury in Connecticut, and APV/Baker in Grand Rapids.

Bill loved his family, friends, living life to the fullest, and the Grand Rapids community. He will be remembered for his warmth, extraordinary character and sense of humor. He had many interests, including cooking, crafts, camping, blues, and baseball. Bill found a passion for acting during his retirement years. He starred in roles at the Civic Theater, Circle Theater, and Jewish Theater Grand Rapids, among others. Bill also shared his talent for food preparation with Temple Emanuel by leading the catering of community meals over many years.

Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 23rd, at Temple Emanuel, 1715 East Fulton, Grand Rapids, followed by interment at Oakhill Cemetery. After interment, a community gathering of condolence will be held at the Temple. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Bill’s memory to Jewish Theater Grand Rapids, 2727 Michigan NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506, http://www.jtgr.org.

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