Lois Grayshan Hoffer

Lois Anne Grayshan Hoffer, 82, of Bel Air, MD passed away on March 5, 2023. She was born on February 27, 1941, in Rutherford, NJ, to parents Alvin and Helen Grayshan. She graduated from Rutherford High School in 1959 before moving to Baltimore. Lois was preceded in death by her husband Richard (Rich) Hoffer (2002), son Matthew (Mack) Hoffer (1989) and sister Elizabeth (BJ) Grayshan (2019).

She leaves behind four children - Steve Hoffer (Christina) of North East, MD, Geoff Hoffer (Christine) of Cambridge, NY, Tim Hoffer (Lisa) of Round Hill, VA and Mike Hoffer (Janet) of Carolina Beach, NC. Also surviving are nine grandchildren - Julia, William, Matthew, Wesley, Maxwell, Colin, Christopher, John Henry and Sarah, and one great grandchild - Caliya.

Lois was a very proud graduate of the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing (1962) and was an active alumnus for the rest of her life. She married her husband Rich in 1963 and worked at the Johns Hopkins Hospital until their fourth son Mack was born in 1968. While raising her children, she was employed part-time as a Registered Nurse at Fallston General Hospital for many years. She then transitioned to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1984 where she worked in the Oncology Department.

Lois always told her friends that she would go back to work full-time when her youngest son entered high school. Sure enough, she started back at Johns Hopkins on the same day Mike started 9th grade.

Her greatest professional accomplishment was managing the National Bone Marrow Donor Program. She helped to develop a national registry program of bone marrow types and traveled around the country to do it. She retired in 2000.

Lois remained a nurse until the day she died. While raising five boys in Edgewood, MD, she served as the de facto nurse for an entire neighborhood. She helped many friends navigate aging and bravely guided her husband Rich through a difficult, and ultimately fatal, bout with colon cancer.

A tireless worker, Lois believed in volunteerism and served with the Boy Scouts, PTA, election board, booster club, and the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association. In her last years she volunteered in the library and on the Welcoming Committee at the Brightview Avondell Senior Living Community.

Her greatest joy was her family. She loved spending summer vacations on Long Beach Island, NJ, with her children and on Sunset Beach, NC, with her grandchildren. Her favorite hobbies were stained glass art, knitting, talking with friends, drinking coffee, and watching the Baltimore Ravens.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101.