HOFFMAN, Elaine Stroll - Known to her family and friends as "Oshie," passed away December 2, 2005, at home in San Carlos. She was born on Thanksgiving, 1923, in Oakland, the youngest child of Harry and Dena Stroll.

After attending Oakland High, she met the love of her life, Paul Hoffman, the first week of school at Cal, on Wheeler Steps. They were married in 1944 at Santa Ana Army Air Base and celebrated 61 years of married life together. After WWII, they settled in Menlo Park, and moved to Pullman, WA, then to Eugene, OR, moving back to the Peninsula after their children were grown.

Elaine's deep devotion to her family was matched by energy, leadership and creativity in many fields of endeavor. She painted, knitted, creweled, danced, acted in community theater, manufactured beauty products, and passed along to her children numerous secret family recipes. She was a voracious reader, with interests spanning history, fiction and political science. Her knowledge of Queen Victoria and FDR was legendary among the members of the book clubs she organized.

Living by the Shakespearean adage, "To thine own self be true," Elaine was active in politics throughout her life, working on the Stevenson for President Campaign, and numerous campaigns for other Democratic candidates, particularly in the 1960s and '70s. She served as the head of the AFL-CIO Committee on Political Education, was elected Democratic Party committeewoman for the Fourth Congressional District of Oregon, served as a trusted advisor to Senator Wayne Morse and later served as an aide at the Oregon State Legislature.

She is survived by her husband, Paul Hoffman; their three children: Valerie, Jonathan and Elizabeth; her brother Avrum; six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Funeral Services will be at Skylawn Memorial Park, San Mateo, Tuesday October 6, at 10:15 am. Remembrances may be made to the International Myeloma Foundation, 12650 Riverside Drive, North Hollywood, CA 91607 or to Temple Beth El in San Mateo.