Lorlee L. Hoff

HOFF, Lorlee Louisa (Harvey), age 92, passed away on Saturday, April 10, 2021.
Born on March 11, 1929, in Huntington, West Virginia, Lorlee spent much of her childhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she graduated in 1946 from Hughes High School.

Lorlee attended the University of Cincinnati, graduating in 1950 with degrees in Psychology and English Literature. She met Russell Stratton Hoff Jr. on a blind date and they were married in August 1950. Following graduation, the couple moved to Dayton, Ohio, where both took jobs at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Lorlee as an editor with the Wright Air Development Center.

Lorlee and Russ welcomed their son, Ross, in 1953 and in 1954 moved into a newly-built home in the growing suburb of Kettering, Ohio, where they lived for 66 years. In August 2020 they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary shortly before moving to the 10 Wilmington Place Retirement Community in Dayton.

Lorlee was a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha women’s fraternity for 74 years serving in many leadership positions including as President of the Dayton Alumnae Chapter, Southern Ohio Province President, and ZTA representative to the Dayton Panhellenic Association. In Dayton Panhellenic, she served in all board offices including as president. Lorlee was honored by Zeta Tau Alpha with the National Sorority Alumnae Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Service and the Honor Ring, the highest award given to an alumna.

Beginning in 1978, Lorlee was employed as a coordinator, instructor, and trainer with the Dayton franchise of the Diet Workshop. She was recognized as 1981 Staff Member of the Year and retired in 1989 as Director of Workplace Programs. With Russ, she also conducted DW’s direct mail marketing operation for several years.

A talented and lifelong singer, Lorlee performed and recorded with the Vern Wahle Orchestra in 1946 in Cincinnati and, beginning in 1971, was a member for many years of the Kettering Mothersingers, a choral group sponsored by the Kettering Council of PTAs.

Throughout her life, Lorlee practiced a wide variety of crafts, from needlepoint, ceramics, and antique furniture refinishing to creation of computer-generated photo collections, greeting cards, and cookbooks. With Russ and Ross, she designed and produced glass-block holiday lights to sell and give as gifts.

An active genealogist, Lorlee was a 25-year member of the Daniel Cooper Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution.

In the evenings, Lorlee enjoyed watching movies at home with Russ surrounded by their “fabulous feline family” of adopted stray cats. A Nielsen family for several years, Lorlee and Russ were proud of the impact their viewing habits may have had on increasing the production of action and science fiction films.

Avid travelers, Lorlee, Russ, and Ross enjoyed many long driving and camping trips throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. After retirement, their travels with family and friends expanded to worldwide destinations including the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, the Amazon, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Maasai Mara, the Galapagos Islands, and Greece. They re-experienced those travels daily with floor-to-ceiling photos in their home. Lorlee and Russ frequently traveled to Washington, DC, to visit with Ross, “second son” Alex, and many other friends, and to celebrate special occasions such as the dedication of the World War II Memorial.

Lorlee was preceded in death by her husband, Russell; her mother, Virginia Bowles Chandley; her father, Gillespie Alvin Harvey; and an infant brother, James Harvey. She is survived by her son, Ross Harbison Hoff, of Washington, DC, and numerous friends.

Lorlee will be inurned alongside Russ at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date.

In her memory, friends are encouraged to make a donation to the Society for the Improvement of Conditions for Stray Animals (sicsa.org), the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org), or other charity of their choice. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.routsong.com.