Francis (Frank) Hoffman, of Medicine Lake, Montana passed away Friday April 5, 2024 at The Lodge in Sidney, Montana.

Born September 14, 1926 in Underwood, North Dakota to Annie and Reinhold Hoffman, he was raised on the Hoffman family farm north of Brockton and attended school in Poplar, Montana.

At 18, he was drafted into the army. After his honorable discharge he returned to Montana and joined his brother, Reimund, farming and ranching on the family farm. They were bachelor farmers for years but had many nieces and nephews in the area to keep them busy. The stories of Uncle Frankie are family legend. A neighbor once mentioned that he could hear them singing as they worked.

Frank met Joyce Roos, a school teacher he met at the bowling alley in Plentywood. Frank and Joyce married in August 1970 and she joined him at the family farm. They raised two children, Angela and Jeremy, between the farm and Medicine Lake.

Frank loved giving visitors the full farm experience if they were up for it. Driving a tractor, a truck, a motorcycle or a three-wheeler were all fair game. Together, Frank and Joyce hosted campfires out at the dam in the summer and sledding adventures in the winter, dragging the toboggan up the hill behind the old tractor. When they started spending winters in Medicine Lake, they became avid fans of all the high school sports and rarely missed a home game. They also became active at St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Medicine Lake.

Frank and Joyce loved to travel. Frank would drive through rain, sleet, blizzards and thunderstorms to Joyce’s nieces’ and nephews’ performances and special events. They also did long road trips to visit family across the country. When Angela moved away from Montana, they enjoyed exploring each place Angela and her family lived. They loved their grandchildren and were always happy to come out to babysit.

It can’t be said Frank ever really retired from farming, but he slowly passed responsibility over to Jeremy. Frank was always around for advice and a helping hand. He would arrive at the farm to do odd jobs, tinker, nap, have a jelly sandwich, help move equipment or disc a field. Jeremy still runs the family farm while living in the original house, with a few additions and updates.

Frank’s retirement in 2017 after Joyce’s passing was spent making new friends at the Pioneer Manor in Plentywood and later The Lodge in Sidney. He was always excited to be taken out for lunch at Dairy Queen where everyone knew his regular order.

Frank is survived by his daughter Angela Vollertsen (Troy) of Plymouth, Michigan; and his son Jeremy of Brockton, Montana; his sister Rita Bosch of Castro Valley, California; three grandchildren, Nathan and Erin of Plymouth, Michigan and Finn of Brockton, Montana; and many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Reinhold and Annie Hoffman; his wife, Joyce; his son, Corey; and by siblings Cecelia, Clement, Albert, Jerome, Agnes, Secunda, Cyrilla, Reimund, and Eugenie.