It is with great sadness that we report that Simsbury's Stephen Carl Hoffsis died unexpectedly on December 13, 2017 in Simsbury, CT. Steve was born on March 20, 1984 in West Chester, PA, the beloved son of David and Patricia (Alcott) Hoffsis, formerly of East Greenbush/Valatie NY. He had moved to Simsbury in 1986 where he lived the remainder of his life. Steve was a 2002 graduate of Simsbury High School and while at Simsbury HS, he excelled in football and wrestling garnering All State Recognition in both sports. Additionally, while wrestling he successfully placed in the CT State Open 4 times with runner up honor's his senior year at the State Open. Steve also wrestled in the New England and US National Championships his Senior year. After high school, Steve attended Plymouth State University majoring in Outdoor Recreation Management and played Varsity Football his Freshman year.
When Steve was 10, his sister Jennifer passed away in a tragic car accident and in many ways that shaped who he was to become. That loss created the tight knit family bond which was the core thread in his DNA as exhibited by his love to do the following always as a family; yearly vacations to Deer Isle, ME, many wonderful trips to Arizona and the southwest, Alaska, Hawaii to name a few family adventures. Mealtime was always a family affair and Steve honed his culinary skills into being a highly accomplished cook who had a commanding presence in the kitchen, quickly whipping up meals that were nothing short of fantastic. He truly understood the chemistry of how all ingredients meshed together and practiced that art daily. He loved a spirited game of scrabble with family and friends and you knew you were in for a battle when playing with Steve. He loved golf and would frequently play with brother Erik and Dad and although he didn't take the game too seriously and could be a wee bit wild with his shots at times, he was very well known for launching prodigious tee shots that were nothing short of amazing to all in the foursome or nearby. Steve was extremely engaging, charming, outwardly confident and energetically fun with all people he met and his outgoing personality clearly enabled him to be the excellent communicator that he was in all sorts of social settings. He also was truly compassionate for the underdog and misfortunate and on more than one occasion stood up for those who may have been bullied.
Having that fearless attitude was a large part of his makeup and his true passion was the lure of the freedom and adventure found in the great outdoors and once again he demonstrated that by his backpacking the Appalachian Trail (2,200 miles) end to end over a 4 month period and remarkably the day after he finished the "Trail", he recorded a "hole in one" as his family watched in total amazement. That was Steve. You never knew quite what surprises he had in store for you! As recent as this September, he had just finished backpacking a several hundred mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail in California. His passion and curiosity for experiencing adventure, the seeking of all types of knowledge and the scientific understanding of how nature and the metaphysical all comes together was of great interest to Steve and knew no bounds. An outgrowth of his love of nature could also be found in the literally thousands of truly beautiful and artistic photographs he took wherever his travels took him. He absolutely loved the emotional/physical experience that adventure and nature presented to him.
Steve was a bit of a free spirit who traveled on his own path, but always was a lover of life, what it offered and was a strong believer in family. Our hearts are truly broken to have lost you in the very prime of your life. You were such an honest, open man, a son who made your parents very proud, a loving brother to Erik Hoffsis of Simsbury, CT and Michelle Gardy and her husband Ed of East Greenbush, NY, a tender and giving friend/lover to girlfriend Lauren Walker of Plainville, CT, a wonderful uncle to Jen and Tricia Gardy of East Greenbush, NY; beloved grandson to Mary Alcott of East Greenbush, NY and a good, caring soul to so many. God bless you Steve for allowing us to come into your life and to know you as we have. You will forever and always be in our hearts and minds.
The Hoffsis family will be hosting a celebration of Steve’s life in Simsbury, CT at the end of March 2018 with details to be announced. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy at www.appalachiantrail.org/home/ways-to-give in memory of Steve Hoffsis/trail name "Hyde". The Vincent Funeral Home of Simsbury is caring for the arrangements. Please visit Steve’s “Book of Memories” at www.vincentfuneralhome.com for online condolences and updated service information.