Marylin Hoffman Obituary

Marylin Hoffman

March 15, 1934 - December 29, 2024

Marylin Ann (Reynolds) Hoffman, 90, passed away Sunday, December 29, 2024, in Billings, Montana, with her family by her side.

A Vigil Service will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, January 3, 2025, in the Chapel of the Silha Funeral Home, Glendive, with visitation preceding the Vigil from 6 to 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. on January 4, 2025, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Fr. Francis Schreiber officiating. The Rite of Committal will be held in the Dawson County Cemetery where Marylin will be laid to rest next to her husband of 54 years, Jim. Silha Funeral Home of Glendive has been entrusted with the arrangements.

Marylin was born March 15, 1934 - the youngest of Frank and Tillie Reynolds's six kids. She grew up helping her dad and siblings in the F.T. Reynolds Grocery stores her dad founded 100 years ago. She always said that she didn't know bananas were yellow until she got married as they only got black leftover ones as kids. After graduating from Dawson County High School, Marylin started college at St. Catherine's University in Minnesota before attending Montana State College in Bozeman where she earned a degree in home economics.

Marylin was recruited for her first teaching job as a home economics teacher in Lodge Grass, Montana. There, she met a handsome teacher and coach, James "Jim" Hoffman, who would eventually become her husband in 1957. Over the years, they moved multiple times as Jim transitioned from teaching to administration, with roles in Shepherd, Belfry, and Baker. His work finally brought Marylin back home to Glendive in 1970. Marylin spent most of the rest of her life at their family's home on Dilworth where all of us have countless precious memories of Marylin holding court in the kitchen and Jim watching football in the den.

It was in that house that Marylin and Jim raised their four daughters. As educators, Marylin and Jim encouraged their daughters to excel in school. To her daughters and, later, to nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren, Marylin would quip "learn a little, learn a lot, give it all you've got!" as the kids headed out the door to school.

A curious mind and life-long learner herself, Marylin's bedroom, den, and basement "messy room" (the mention of which in this obituary may prompt Marylin to haunt us from the grave, but was a favorite place for grandkids to explore) were full of books, both serious - like those on Abraham Lincoln, whom she deeply admired - and light - like the murder mysteries she avidly read. Marylin also loved traveling and claimed she could be packed for Europe in 20 minutes. Over her lifetime, Marylin tested that claim many times, traveling to multiple European countries, Venezuela to visit their exchange student Carlos, and across the United States.

Marylin loved all animals - often leaving food out for neighborhood wildlife and giving her sons-in-law grief for enjoying hunting while ironically liking nothing more to eat than a hamburger. But she especially adored cats. She had many cats over the years named Rosie, named originally after a football player (Rosey Grier) she liked after hearing he liked to crochet and knit; she was amused by the juxtaposition of this big burly football player doing needlepoint. Marylin was no slouch at a sewing machine, either, and often sewed beautifully crafted Halloween costumes for her kids and grandkids. Marylin loved coffee at any hour of the day, to the extent that it was her main source of hydration for her whole adult life.

While she had these many deep interests, no Earthly passion of Marylin's exceeded her love of people. This was primarily manifested in her devotion to family. Besides being deeply involved in her kids' lives as they grew up, she continued her role as matriarch of her family by driving and/or flying hours to attend grandchildren's activities. Marylin labored hours over "luggage" she made for each child's and grandchild's high school graduation. These were multiple cardboard boxes she painstakingly decoupaged with photos, comic strips, programs from concerts, newspaper cutouts of childhood accomplishments, and quotes cut out of magazines. These heirlooms will be treasured for the rest of our lives. Marylin also got great joy out of arranging family "Ho Ho Ho" concerts for which she had matching shirts embroidered where her kids and grandkids performed Christmas carols on piano, instruments, and vocals for her and Jim. Throughout her life, she slyly told us to "not get wet" as we headed to the pool, worried her hair looked like the "wrath of God," called others "sweetie pies," and called herself Grandma Dear Darling.

Beyond family, Marylin's love of people allowed her to make a friend of any stranger - whether they met in the aisles of Reynold's Grocery, while traveling, or in the pew in front of her standard spot in the back right corner of Sacred Heart Church. This gift of gab extended even into her final years where her quick wit - maintained despite dementia - endeared her to her assisted living staff.

One of the primary ways Marylin expressed her love was through cooking. Marylin's kitchen was affectionately known as "Mama's Cafe." Marylin unfailingly had a sandwich on the table protected by a pot lid by the time Jim came home from work for lunch. She'd tease that Jim needed her cooking because he didn't even know where they kept the ice. He'd tease her back by asking if the apple pies she made were from canned apples. Marylin made everything from scratch. She cooked unbelievable holiday meals, and was always the last to sit down, having made sure everyone else was cared for first. Her love of cooking led to an extensive cookbook collection, most of which were filled with notes she scratched in the margins. Showing love through food extended to "junk food day" where she took the grandkids out to Reynolds and told them they could pick out any 3 or so junk foods they wanted, often breaking her self-imposed limit when grandkids couldn't decide between two items. Marylin's most beloved recipes were hand-copied into a cookbook by Jim before his passing and our cooking of those recipes will keep her memory alive for decades to come.

Marylin was a devout Catholic. Beside religiously attending the Saturday vigil mass every week, Marylin was a routine participant in patriotic Rosary at Sacred Heart and always said "God Bless America" after finishing the Catholic blessing before meals. She standardly uttered "God give me strength" every time any of us tested her patience. We have no doubt Marylin's reliance on God and dedication to her faith earned her a spot in Heaven. No words can adequately capture just how much we will miss her, but her outsized impact on those she left behind will always survive and we know she'll be up there convincing God to give us strength over the years to come.

Marylin is survived by Cindy and Duane Zimmerman (Billings) and children Sarah (Matt, Emma, Josh, and Sophia), Danny, and Katy; Darcy and Dave Crum (Great Falls) and children Ellie and Molly (Victor); Lori and Kevin Billings (Bozeman) and children Drew (Paige) and Catherine (Jack); and Denise Hoffman (Sandy, UT) and children Paul and Matthew.

Should you choose, memorials may be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, PO Box 36, Glendive, MT 59330. Remembrances and condolences may be shared with the family at www.silhafuneralhomes.com.