[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 122 (Thursday, August 6, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S8892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MARY JO HOFFMAN

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, this morning a funeral service will be 
held in Sioux City, IA, for a 44-year-old woman who began working for 
the people of Iowa in my office in January of 1988. Mary Jo Hoffman was 
a loyal and trusted adviser to me and a beloved friend to my wife, 
Barbara, our family, and many of my Senate staff who served with her 
more than a decade ago and still, in a sense, are serving with her 
today.
  Always filled with purpose, Mary Jo spent the last 2 years 4 months 
fighting cancer with the tenacity, strength, and determination we all 
knew and loved about her. When Mary Jo set her mind to something, she 
didn't let much get in her way. She was that way when I met her when 
she was a bright young college student at the University of Northern 
Iowa, my alma mater, and she was that way when she worked effectively 
to serve constituents, first as a legislative correspondent, then as 
scheduler and as a top aide in my Senate office, and later on when she 
worked for my political campaigns. I valued her judgment and 
appreciated her hard work and commitment to quality in every position 
she held. Mary Jo also taught at night as a volunteer and earned a 
master's degree while working on Capitol Hill.
  She reached out and gave to others in so many ways through her 
church, in her community, and even on the U.S. Air Force base in Greece 
where she lived for a short period of time with her husband while he 
was serving. Someone in need had a friend in Mary Jo. She always got a 
lot done, and she did it in a way that was generous, spirited, and 
committed to ideals.
  Mary Jo was a person of great faith. She provided leadership wherever 
she went through worship and fellowship and with the example she set 
with her own life. Mary Jo was a faithful witness for Christ and never 
more so than the darkest hours and days of her last 2 years. She will 
continue to inspire those of us who were lucky enough to have her in 
our lives.
  We all mourn Mary Jo's departure, and our heart goes out to her 
family, including her devoted husband, Brent, and mother, Karen. I know 
Mary Jo's beautiful young children, Silas and Lydia, will miss her 
every day. I pray that they find comfort in the honorable life lived by 
their mother and my dear friend Mary Jo. She served the people of Iowa 
and the Lord with distinction and humility. She left this world for the 
next with courage and grace.
  I wish to read one sentence from the Sioux City Journal which I think 
sums up her life: ``Her words were like thunder because her life was 
like lightning.''
  Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to have the full text 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                [From Sioux City Journal, Aug. 4, 2009]

                            Mary Jo Hoffman

       Sioux City.--Mary Jo Hoffman, 44, passed on to heaven on 
     July 31, 2009, having lived life well and faithfully. She 
     leaves a timeless legacy of faith and love for family and 
     friends. Her words were like thunder because her life was 
     like lightning.
       Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Thursday at Heartland 
     Community Baptist Church, 3601 Country Club Blvd., Sioux 
     City, with the Rev. Gene Stockton officiating. A luncheon 
     will follow the memorial service. Burial will be at a later 
     date in Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, D.C. 
     Visitation with the family will be 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at 
     Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Condolences may be sent 
     online to www.meyerbroschapels.com.
 Born in Centerville, Iowa, on April 5, 1965, Mary Jo was a 
     precocious student and musician, graduating as class 
     salutatorian from Chariton (Iowa) High School in 1983. She 
     adored her family and friends.
       She received her bachelor of arts degree from the 
     University of Northern Iowa in 1987, graduating with high 
     honors. During a distinguished career, she put her faith in 
     action through teaching and public service. She worked on 
     Capitol Hill for many years, serving proudly on the staff of 
     Senator Chuck Grassley. She also earned a master of arts 
     degree from George Mason University in Arlington, Va.
       While living in Virginia and attending First Baptist Church 
     of Alexandria, Mary Jo (Archibold) met and married Brent 
     Hoffman. She joined Brent on military assignments in Greece 
     and at the Pentagon. Their children, Silas and Lydia were 
     born in 2000 and 2002, and she promptly set all career plans 
     and ambitions aside. In 2004, they returned to their native 
     Iowa and Sioux City. Though she maintained interests in 
     fundraising and community service, she was a mother who put 
     her family's needs first and foremost. She enjoyed reading, 
     music, cooking, politics, knitting and most of all, visiting 
     with friends and family.
       Though admired for her extraordinary achievements, she was 
     beloved for her faith and kindness. She accepted Christ as 
     her Savior and her faith in God was the driving purpose in 
     her life. Friends describe Mary Jo as a bright shining light 
     who lived a life pleasing to God. Her influence will not be 
     forgotten.
       Survivors include her children, Silas and Lydia; her 
     husband, Brent; her parents, Ron and Karen Stein of Mason 
     City, Iowa; a sister, Malinda Hilzer of Des Moines; and many 
     other relatives, all of whom she loved and are left to 
     cherish her memory.
       She was preceded in death by her father, D.W. Archibold; 
     and her grandparents.
       A memorial has been established in the name of Mary Jo 
     Hoffman at Heartland Community Baptist Church.

                          ____________________