Michael Matthew Hoffman

3/16/1981-10/18/2024

Posted by Mom, Deb Whitacre Rice

Michael Matthew Hoffman was born on March 16, 1981, in Baltimore, MD to Ronald Stafford Hoffman and Deborah Kay Hoffman (nee Whitacre). His father, Ronald, has been deceased since 1999. Michael has a half sister, Sarah Elizabeth Hoffman. Michael’s grandmother was Catherine Lyons deceased on 10/7/2024. He was Nephew to Robert W. Pfaff and wife Adriana, Cousin to Maddie Pfaff, Alex Pfaff, and Alaina Pfaff. He was stepson to Timothy D. Rice, stepbrother to Josh Rice and wife Stephanie, step uncle to Cody Rice and Clara Rice.

He graduated from Hereford High School in 1999, worked part time at Graul’s Market in Hereford through high school, and began working for McCormick spices, but soon found his passion was bicycles. He started working for REI and Performance Bicycles taking a reduction in pay for his passion.

During his lifetime he visited Germany, cities in Florida including Orlando and Key West, Sedona, Arizona, Grand Canyon, Lake Tahoe, Phoenix, Utah and more. He skydived twice; once with me in 2004 in Cottonwood, Arizona. He moved to Denver, CO around 2009 and found a job with Wheat Ridge Cyclery, where he worked for several years. He loved Colorado, his job, and the people he met. He rode the Leadville 100 on 8/10/2013. This was a 100-mile ride through Leadville, Colorado on a fixed gear bicycle (1 speed), which he finished in 9 hours; 54 minutes. This was quite an accomplishment, and he was enormously proud, as was I.

By October of 2013, he had a Stroke, which changed his life. He had to spend quite a while in rehab to regain ability to speak, eat, talk, walk; everything. Since then, he has gone through seizures and aphasia caused by the stroke. He moved back home to Baltimore in September 2023. During this time, he was able to spend some time with his grandmother who passed away peacefully on October 7, 2024, in home hospice at the age of 96 years old.

On Saturday, October 12, 2024 Michael and I went to lunch. He had another seizure follow by another. By Sunday night, he had another stroke as well. Emergency surgery was performed to remove a clot from his brain which was not successful. He remained in a coma until he passed peacefully on Friday, October 18, 2024.

Michael and I talked previously, and his decision was to be cremated. Fortunately, he was able to see many of his family and friends at his grandmother’s funeral just 2 days before his seizure, leaving him in a coma until his passing. He leaves behind family and friends that love him. Michael has gone through many challenges since his stroke 11 years ago. Of course, I miss him dearly and always will, but I am grateful that he is now at peace in God’s hands and watched over by loved ones in Heaven.