Marilyn C. Hoffer

Marilyn C. Hoffer, 72, of Bowling Green passed away Thursday, March 28, 2019 at her home surrounded by her family. Born in Minnesota, Marilyn moved with her parents, Joseph and Myrtle Mona, to Virginia at a young age. Marilyn graduated from Fairfax High School and was an accomplished percussionist in the marching band. Later, she, her two children, Caroline and Joseph, husband, William Hoffer, and his two children, Jennifer and Amanda, lived on a mountain outside Front Royal, Virginia.

Bill and Marilyn worked together as free-lance writers. Over the course of their careers, they wrote countless magazine articles and more than twenty non-fiction books, many of which were New York Times best-sellers and turned into motion pictures, titles including Midnight Express, Not Without My Daughter, His Name is Ron, and Freefall. Upon retirement, Marilyn started a new career, which she stated was her best career; she helped to raise her grandson, Joey. Though Marilyn’s final two years were difficult, they are not the years the people who knew her will remember. Instead, they will remember razor sharp wit, beauty, style, irreverence for convention, generosity, unwavering positivity, and enormous heart. She is survived by her husband, William Hoffer; her children, Caroline Frye (Sam) and Joseph Schmidt (Lorena); her step children, Jennifer Valacka (Raimund) and Amanda Turner (Michael); six grandchildren, Joseph Frye, Jeremy Frye (Alice), Lukas Valacka, Gus Valacka, Emilia Turner and Ivy Turner; two great-grandchildren, Melania Frye and Emma Frye; her lifelong friends, Jean Souza and Nancy Heston and her dog, Cricket. A graveside funeral service will be held Sunday, March 31^st at 2:00 pm in Lakewood Cemetery, Bowling Green. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Heroes 4 Autism or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.storkefuneralhome.com.