My brother Dan wrote this song when our dad was forced to retire at age 60 
and the stress that ensued caused him to lose much of his eyesight. 
The song was included in Dan's record album, Empty House.
This was read yesterday at his funeral.


A SONG IN TRIBUTE OF MY FATHER
By Daniel Hoffman
©1980

My father learned to fly when he was young,
Found his peace up in the sky.
Now they say his flying days are done.
The light is gone within his eyes.

The skies are deep within you
Where the eagle dares to fly.
The skies are deep within you,
The light's still in your eyes.
You can fly!

Taking care of others as your own
Those you teach,
Send on their way.
You taught to me more than you have known.
In my heart, those things will stay.

The skies are deep within you
Where the eagle dares to fly.
The skies are deep within you,
The light's still in your eyes.
And you can fly!
You can fly!
You can fly!

-Barbara Hoffman
Posted at the FL Club
(11/11/03)



My father was flying a DC 3 when I was born. I was boarding a 737,
the last plane he flew as a pilot for Frontier Airlines, when he
died. All my life has been shaped by my father's travels, his love of
aviation and of serving people, and the open mind, heart and spirit
he exemplified every day.

I don't remember the first time I flew with my dad – I'm told I was
an infant at the time. My first memories of traveling with him are of
serving as a "junior stewardess" on a DC3, handing out gum to the
passengers to help them get through takeoff and landing in the
unpressurized cabin. How proud I was of my strong, handsome father
in his captain's uniform, how impressed I was with the respect he was
shown by his crew and co-workers, and the gratitude of the passengers
for a pleasant and safe voyage. I was Captain Hoffman's little girl,
and that made me feel very special. I loved to go on trips with him,
just for the fun of it. My father and I traveled to wondrous places
together: Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, Europe, and elsewhere. Most
importantly for the course of my life's work, we flew together on my
first trip to Africa in 1976. I have spent the rest of my life
learning and teaching about that richly complex continent, and even
when he could no longer travel so far himself, my father followed my
journeys closely and learned to know and love my friends and family
there vicariously, as they did him. Many hearts are heavy in Africa
today because Richard Hoffman has left this world.

He gave me so much: wonder, and the urge to wander, to go and see, to
know first hand, to help and serve. He taught me to learn with
humility and to teach with confidence. Although I was the only girl
and the baby of the family, he didn't spoil me nearly as much as my
brothers would have us believe. He taught me to be self-sufficient,
independent, and fearless. I learned from him how to wield an ax, how
to run a mower, how to work on a car, as well as other,
typically "masculine" skills. He taught me how to live and thrive in
a man's world without losing my sense of femininity, and that set of
skills has served me well.

Most of all, though, my father taught me to take people as they are,
love them without conditions, and respect their beliefs, even the
beliefs of those who refuse to respect the beliefs that differ from
their own. My father was a man of the golden rule, a true example of
divine love in human form. Now he has returned to the Source, but his
spirit and the lessons he left us will live on in our hearts and
souls.

-Barbara Hoffman
Posted at the FL Club
(11/11/03)