Florence K. “Casey” Hoffman, 81, of Wilmette and a former 44-year resident of Winnetka, died June 14, 2002 at Evanston Northwestern Hospital in Evanston. Born March 9, 1921 in Sutherland, Iowa, Mrs. Hoffman graduated from the Iowa State College in 1943. After college she worked as a household equipment engineer for the General Electric Company and as a household equipment editor for the Ladies Home Journal. She also worked for the Oakland Public Health Department and for Wilson Wyatt in the Federal Housing Authority. During World War II, she married Ronald Schwendemann, a naval officer who was lost at sea aboard the submarine Snook. After the war, she married Edward S. Hoffman, whom she had known since age four. They came to the Chicago area in 1947 and moved to the North Shore in 1955. She was an active contributor to many organizations, including the League of Women Voters, the Kenilworth Center of the Chicago Infant Welfare Society, and the University of Chicago’s Lying-in Hospital, where she was a member and president of the Women’s Board. Elected to the New Trier High School Board of Education in 1971, she served until 1977 on the Community Relations Committee and chaired the Education Committee. After her children were grown and her term on the New Trier Board of Education complete, Mrs. Hoffman decided to start a new career in public relations and fund raising. She opened a public relations firm and raised money for the Girl Scouts. Between 1979 and 1997, she coordinated resource development at Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, an organization that revitalizes Chicago neighborhoods. Survivors include her husband, Edward; two sons, Philip (Kathryn), and Thomas (Mellonie); one daughter, Mary (Sorenson); and six grandchildren, who all remember her concern for others and the extraordinary family meals she prepared. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Thursday, June 20 at Christ Church, 784 Sheridan Rd., Winnetka. In lieu of flowers, donations to Christ Church for the Church Yard Fund would be greatly appreciated.
