PIERRE, SD – A Memorial Celebration of Life will be held at 10:30am, Monday, January 13, 2025 at the Harrold School Gymnasium.

Burial will follow at Medicine Hill Cemetery.

Wilbur Delmar Hoffman left our earth on January 2, 2025 after several months living in the area nursing home. Wilbur did not enjoy living in the nursing home, and after a fall there that left him with a broken hip, his health deteriorated rapidly and he spoke often how he did not want to live that way. Wilbur would have been 94 years old on January 11th. His life was a testament to the value of hard work and devotion to his family, community and the customers he served.

Wilbur was born on January 11, 1931 in Pierre, SD, to his parents Ernest and Bertha Hoffman. Wilbur grew up on the family farm in Harrold, SD, and attended Harrold School until the end of his 8th year; after that, he stayed home to help his father with the family farm. He had two siblings, Elmer and Sophie, who also stayed in the Harrold area and lived close by.

In March of 1954 Wilbur enlisted in the Army as a combat engineer and served his country for over a year in the battle of the Korean War. He was honorably discharged in April of 1955 and returned home to Harrold, SD, to continue to work on the family farm.

In 1956, Wilbur began dating the love of his life, Marlene (Rosie) Palmer. Wilbur and Marlene were united in marriage on December 1, 1956 and to this union three children were born: Jim, Patty Lynn, and Randy. Tragically, Wilbur and Marlene faced one of their hardest moments as parents when they lost their baby girl, Patty Lynn, to SIDS. As a couple they persevered and went on to raise their two boys, spending their time watching them play ball, and enjoying their escapades of hunting and fishing. Many photos were taken and shared of who got the “biggest fish”. Wilbur and Marlene were married for sixty- six years when Marlene passed away at the Highmore Nursing Home in November of 2022. Wilbur and Marlene were quite the dynamic duo; each with their own quick wit and humor. Time spent with them was filled with laughter and smiles as they continually cracked jokes and made each other smile.

The other love of Wilbur’s life was Hoffman Oil, the business he was proud to have started and grown. Wilbur was no stranger to hard work and was very committed and loyal to his customers. It has been told that Wilbur often extended credit to the new customers he took on, as he understood the struggles of the farming life and was compassionate about wanting local farmers to succeed. Wilbur was a fixture in his old “red” Phillips 66 truck and ran the business solely by himself until his son, Randy, joined him in the family business in 2001. Wilbur and Randy jointly ran the business for the last 23 years. Wilbur still insisted on doing the book work as his contribution to running the family business.

Wilbur was also committed to the community of Harrold and spent many hours volunteering for various needs and projects of the community. One of these was being a school bus driver, as he spent many years driving bus for the Harrold school system and carrying students back and forth to school.

In the little time Wilbur did take off from farming and running Hoffman Oil, he did enjoy fishing and hunting. He and best friends, Lowell King, Rusty Curtis, and Cap Galinat, along with many others, traveled each fall to the Hills to attempt to bring down the “big one”. Many memories were made and Wilbur always had a story about the good times he and his buddies shared in their escapades, “hunting”.

Christmas Eve was traditionally a gathering at Gramma and Grandpa’s home to enjoy Gramma’s famous potato soup. The grandchildren still talk about these times and all the fun that was shared in these gatherings.

Grateful for sharing his life, and content in knowing that he is reunited with the love of his life in heaven, are his children: Jim & Randy (Danette), grandchildren: Jayme (Josh), Josie (Zack), Dawson, Kaylee, Ryan (Tracy), Seth (Ashley), and Ranae; honorary daughter Debra Ingle and honorary granddaughter Caitlyn, and great grandchildren: Curtis (Seth’s), Kendall, Hollis and Lettie (Jayme’s), Addison (Josie’s), and Otis (Ranae’s).

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