Paul Hoff, age 87, of Madison, passed away suddenly on Monday, July 6, 2026, at his home.
Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 AM on Saturday, July 11th at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. Visitation will be 5-7PM on Friday, July 10th at Rustand-Weiland Funeral Chapel with a prayer service at 7 PM and a Rosary to follow. Visitation will continue on Saturday from 9:30-10:15 AM at the funeral chapel followed by procession to the church for mass. Burial will be in St. Thomas Cemetery.
Paul Julius Hoff was born September 9, 1938, in Madison, SD, to Wallace & Mary (Habeger) Hoff. He graduated from Ramona High School in 1958 and attended South Dakota State University. He was married to Barbara Vanhove on November 25, 1960, at St Thomas Church in Madison. Paul farmed in the Ramona area for three years before moving to a farm northwest of Madison, where he resided until his death. Paul had a strong passion for farming and feeding cattle. He loved working in the shop building and designing things with his own hands that were going to be used in his livestock and grain operation. This ranged from a simple labor-saving tool to much more elaborate structures that can be seen throughout the farm. Any tasks that were completed on the farm were done thoroughly with a future vision in mind. Paul was a true conservationist of the land and for his efforts, he won a Lake County Conservation Award. He was also a member of the Madison Farmers Elevator board and a Knights of Columbus member.
Paul loved to spend time with his family. There were many memorable trips going horseback riding in the Black Hills with his family. This most memorable was a ride up Mount Rushmore. He supported his children and grandchildren and saw the value in the lessons that they learned in 4H. For the last 10 years, Paul enjoyed playing ball and going on parts runs with his dog Stretch.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara of Madison; five children, Ellen Hoff of Madison; John (Denise) Hoff of Watertown, SD, Michele (Tim) Wolf of Wentworth, SD; Kevin (Laura) Hoff of Madison, SD and Jody (Michael) Nitz of Sioux Falls, SD, Stretch his beloved Australian Shepherd; grandchildren, Lindsey (Dustin) Esche, Kelsey Hoff, Jared (David) Hoff, Courtney (Eric) Paulson, McKayla Stark, John Stark, Ben (Katie) Wolf, Jessica (Kyle) Huntley, Isabel Wolf & Trysten Reyes, Connor (Maisey) Hoff, Tate Hoff, Kaija (Nitz) Quitslund, Kjersti (Mitch) Selken; great-grandchildren, Nathan, Zachary, & Lucas Esche, Holt & Cross Hoff, Alaina & Alec Hoff, Leo & Amelia Paulson, Desmond & Josephine Huntley, Garrett Wolf. Siblings, Wallace (Mary Jean) Hoff, Tom (Nancy) Hoff, Dan (Sandy) Hoff, Lois (Dave) Wenzel, Leann Hoff.
Paul was preceded in death by his parents and brother Larry.
