David Hofstetter, 90, passed away on October 15, 2023. He was a resident of the California Veteran’s Home in Chula Vista, California. He was born on February 14,1933 to the late Waldo and Esther (Luginbill) Hofstetter. David grew up in Bluffton, OH and graduated from Bluffton High School in 1951. He entered a partnership with his father to work the Hofstetter family farm for a few years.
At the age of 21, David was drafted into the U.S. Army on April 6, 1954. He attended Basic Training as an Infantryman at Fort Knox, KY, followed by eight weeks of Advanced Infantry Training, where he was assigned as a Light Machine Gunner with a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). He was then assigned to duty in Panama with Company A, 33rd Infantry Regiment, an American unit stationed in the Panama Canal Zone running the Jungle Warfare Center.
He and a few fellow service members flew to New York City, where they boarded a ship to Panama. They rode a train across to the Pacific side of Panama. He served at Fort Kobbe for a year-and-a-half with the Second Platoon, First Squad. They maintained their readiness by continuing to train in the jungles of Panama at Infantry Camp Piña. Some days it was so warm you wished it was raining. When not in the jungle, David and his unit guarded vital canal installations, including the locks and dams. David and his squad were frequently assigned to guard the Gatun Dam, an earthen dam across the Chagres River, near Gatun.
David was promoted to Specialist third class in September of 1955 and was assigned as the Squad leader, placing him in charge of ten soldiers of the first squad. On March 15, 1956, Specialist Third Class Hofstetter was discharged and transferred to the inactive reserve. He used his GI bill to attend Grace University. He later moved to San Diego, California and lived his adult life in that location.
Survivors include his sister, Esther Louise Hofstetter-Bicker of Charlotte, North Carolina and sister-in-law, Mary Hofstetter of Lima, Ohio. He is also survived by nine nieces and nephews and ten great-nieces and nephews, and eleven great-great nieces and nephews.
Preceded in death are his sister, Rebecca Kimmel and brother, Lyman Hofstetter; brothers-in-law, Joel Kimmel and David Bicker.
David will be greatly missed by his family, as well as the staff and residents of the Chula Vista Veteran’s Home, his home for the past seven years. He was a kind and gentle man with a generous, giving heart. There was always a smile on his face when he entered a room, filling it with sunshine!
A committal Military ceremony will be held in California at Miramar National Cemetery in December. A memorial/celebration of his life will be held at a later date in North Carolina.
