On October 19, 2023, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, godmother, and sister Patricia Jean Hoffmann ‘Patti’ Kazmaier passed peacefully in her home in Key Largo, Florida.
Patti Kazmaier was born on January 21, 1934 in Perrysburg, Ohio to Harold Casper Hoffmann and Alma Lucille Craine Hoffmann. She is pre-deceased by her parents; her late husband Richard ‘Dick’ W. Kazmaier, Jr.; brother James Hoffmann and sister Nancy Leary; and two daughters, Michele and Patricia Jean, Jr. She is survived by siblings Peggy Anderson and Stuart Hoffmann; four children Kimberly Clark of Tucson, AZ; Susan Kazmaier of Concord, MA; Kathy of Ogden Valley, UT; and Kristen Kazmaier of Meggett, SC; 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Patti graduated from Perrysburg HS in Perrysburg, OH and attended 1 year at Miami University in Ohio. In the summer of 1952, she met Dick Kazmaier, a local boy from Maumee, OH and 1951 Heisman Trophy winner, at the neighborhood pool where she worked as a lifeguard. Married a year later, Patti and Dick raised six daughters, primarily in the northeast US, and moved to Concord in 1971. After the children were grown the couple became snowbirds and spent winters in Key Largo and summers in Concord.
Patti encouraged “her girls” to excel in school, on the playing field, and in a career. She supported their many sports activities, and was “hockey Mom” to Kathy and Patty, who played with Assabet Valley Girls Hockey in Concord, one of the first womens’ teams in the US. Both girls became accomplished Division 1 players, and in 1998 the annual Patty Kazmaier Award was established by USA Hockey to honor the most outstanding women’s college ice hockey player of the year. Patti was also involved with daughter Kristen’s career as an equestrienne and loved to work at Riverfront Farm, Kristen’s horse farm in Concord from 1990-2022.
Patti was athletic and artistic, enjoying golf, tennis, fashion, decorating, sewing, crafting, and assorted DIY projects. She made beautiful crocheted blankets and loved to garden, growing orchids, veggies, and ornamental gardens. She made delicious preserves, including grape jelly from wild Concord grapes, and raspberry jam from her organic heirloom raspberry patch.
Patricia Jean Hoffmann Kazmaier will be cremated at the Allen Beyer Funeral Home in Key Largo, FL. A private service will be held at a future date.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Patti’s memory can be made to the charity of your choice.
