Sister Miriam Hoffman OSB

Sister Miriam Hoffman, age 92, a member of St. Scholastica Monastery, died July 10, 2024, at Chapel Ridge Health & Rehab in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Sister Miriam, born April 11, 1932, in Altus, Arkansas, to Paul and Gertrude (Koerdt) Hoffman, was named Lucille Marie. She was the fifth child of seven born to the Hoffman family.

Sister Miriam entered St. Scholastica Monastery as a candidate on August 29, 1947. Following her novitiate in 1948, Sister Miriam made her first profession on June 24, 1950, and her final profession on June 24, 1953.

Sister Miriam was gifted in hospitality, nurturing both body and soul in the culinary fields. Sister Miriam served in the dietary departments of two hospitals: in Dermott, Arkansas, for four years and in Morrilton, Arkansas, for thirty-eight years. In 1994, she served as the monastery dietary manager for the second time until her retirement in 2012. She served in this role for a total of twenty years.

She attended Fontbonne College in Clayton, Missouri, in dietetics and food service. As long as she was able, Sister Miriam enjoyed cooking, sewing, and creating various arts and crafts. She was an excellent mathematician. She loved to read the local newspapers where she ministered. She was a hard worker and made tasks seem effortless. She was known for creating beautiful jubilee cakes, tasty grape pies, wonderful cinnamon rolls, and a unique bread made with Mr. Dunn’s abundant long, skinny green beans. Sister Miriam was a gentle and approachable person with a hearty sense of humor. She truly knew what it meant to live Benedictine hospitality. She was dedicated to her family, faithfully keeping in touch with family and friends through letter-writing and telephone calls.

The Sisters at St. Scholastica Monastery thank Sister Miriam’s caregivers at St. Scholastica Monastery Infirmary and Chapel Ridge Health & Rehab for their loving care.

She was preceded in death by her parents: her siblings, Hermina and husband, Dr. David Cheairs; her brother Paul and his wife, Grace Hoffman; her brothers Raymond, William, and Charles; and her youngest sister, Jane Rose, and her husband, Thomas McHale. She is survived by her many beloved nieces and nephews, friends, and members of her Benedictine family.

A Vespers Service will be held Thursday, July 18, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. The Mass for Christian Burial will be Friday, July 19, 2023, at 10:30 a.m., with Fr. Joseph Chan, monastery chaplain, presider. Both services will be at St. Scholastica Monastery Chapel, with burial in St. Scholastica Cemetery under the direction of Edwards Funeral Home of Fort Smith.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Scholastica Monastery Continuing Care Fund, 1315 S. Albert Pike, Fort Smith, AR 72903.