Nancy Hoffman
April 13, 1958-March 4, 2018
Inverness, CA
Nancy passed away on Sunday, March 4, at her home in Inverness, after a brief battle with cancer.
A fourth generation Californian, Nancy was born on April 13, 1958 in Coronado, CA to Marilyn Rhoades Hoffman and Ralph Hoffman, Jr. The eldest of three daughters,she grew up in Menlo Park, attending Hillview Elementary and Castilleja School. She headed to Stanford University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology in 1980 and a Masters of Arts in Education in 1984.
Nancy discovered her gift for working with young people through her summers spent as a camp counselor at Four Winds * Westward Ho on Orcas Island,WA . She began her career in education at Crystal Springs School in Hillsborough. Over the next 30 years, she served as a history teacher, coach, Academic Dean, Assistant Head of School, Department Chair, Dean of Students and in various other roles at Castilleja, Marin Academy and Sonoma Academy. She was a gifted educator, bringing an innate understanding of young people to her work. She treasured her students and was beloved by many in return.
Nancy was an avid reader and a deep thinker with interests in Native American culture, children's literature and Russian history. She loved horseback riding, hiking in the hills of Marin, nordic skiing in Truckee, Tolstoy, Mary Oliver's poems, her many canine companions, Brahms' Symphony, No. 4, and the red tailed hawks who regularly circled her Inverness home.
Nancy is survived by her sisters, Karen Gilhuly (husband, Ned) of Woodside and Sheila Lee (husband,Mark) of Cary, NC; Elizabeth Leahy of San Rafael; her uncle Donald (Dusty) Rhoades of Placerville, her two nephews and five nieces. Nancy had a cherished community of neighbors, colleagues and friends throughout the Bay Area.
A memorial service will be held later this spring. Details will be shared.
Tribute gifts in Nancy's memory can be made to Four Winds * Westward Ho on Orcas Island, WA or to the National Audubon Society.
Tags: teacher/educator
