Charles "Chuck" Joffer

Charles “Chuck” Joffer, 86 of Parker died on Thursday, September 24, 2020 at the Oakview Terrace in Freeman.  Funeral services will be at 10:30am Tuesday, September 29, 2020 at the Calvary Reformed Church in Monroe with burial at the Monroe Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5-7pm Monday evening at the church. Due to Covid-19 the family request that guest wear a mask and practice social distancing at both opportunities to celebrate Chuck’s life. Services will be livestreamed at fb.me/CalvaryReformedMonroe or can be listened to locally in Monroe on 87.9 FM radio. Arrangements by Hofmeister Jones Funeral Home.

Charles Garrett Joffer was born on September 1, 1934 to George and Marie (Hoekman) Joffer.  He was the eleventh  child in a family of thirteen.  His childhood years were spent on the family farm near Chandler. MN where he was soon helping his father and older brothers with farm work and chores.  The family moved to Canton, SD in 1948 and a year later to a farm near Parker, SD.  It was here that he and his brother Arthur formed a farming partnership that was to last 57 years.  As their farming operation and dairy grew it became necessary to hire additional help.  This included Greg Konda and his family and many high school students whose first job was “milking cows for the Joffers.”  Chuck enjoyed working with these young people and often joked that their success in their adult years was due to the “great work ethic” they learned while working on the farm.

Chuck loved farming.  He loved planting and harvesting, working with cattle, and fixing and tinkering with machinery.  He was excited to see the evolution of farming from the last days of working with horses to observing and reading about the present huge, super sophisticated, computerized machines.  He loved it all except maybe the horses, midnight calls from the neighbors announcing “your cows are out,” too much rain, not enough rain…

Chuck was introduced to Coral Senner as a friend and nursing colleague of his sister Janice.  Several years later he called Coral for a date (obviously not love at first sight).  Never the less they seemed to click and they were married in 1966 forming a loving partnership that was to last for 54 years.  They were blessed with the birth of a daughter, Julie Evelyn.

In retirement Chuck continued to plant and harvest corn and beans.  He enjoyed working in the yard and helping Coral with several large flower and vegetable gardens and liked working in the shop fixing everything from household appliances to antique tractors.

Chuck was a gentle, kind, caring person. Grateful for having shared his life are his wife Coral; a daughter Julie; sisters Helena (Harold) Lawrence, Elsie Schmidt, and Sarena (George) Breza; and a host of beloved nieces and nephews.  Welcoming him to heaven are his parents, brothers Harvey (Ida), Peter (Lillian), Garrett (Mildred), John (Ruth), Arthur (Ione); sisters Marie (John) Busman, Effie (Richard) Warne, Margaret (Alvin) Dykstra, Janice (Richard) Thompson, and a brother in law, Aaron Schmidt.