F. Allen Hoffman Obituary

F. Allen Hoffman attended Hempfield High School in Greensburg, PA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about F. Allen Hoffman.

Graduation Year	Class of 1982
Date of Passing	May 21, 2007
About	Allen was killed in a one-car accident on the way to work, Monday, May, 21, 2007. Here is the information from the local newspaper: Firefighters in Crestview and Walton County are mourning the loss of one of their own. Francis Allen Hoffman, battalion chief with the Crestview Fire Department and a former South Walton firefighter, died in a car crash at about 6 a.m. Monday. Hoffman, 43, was driving to his job in Crestview from his Ponce de Leon home when the accident happened. He was driving west on Rock Hill Road near Rob Roy Road in north Walton County when his car traveled onto the north shoulder of the road and slid out of control, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. The car slid onto the south shoulder of the road and the driver side struck a pine tree, the report said. Hoffman, who was not wearing a seat belt, hit the same tree with his head, the report said. Hoffman was partially ejected from the vehicle as it then slid west and hit a second pine tree on the driver side, rotated counterclockwise and came to rest on the south shoulder of Rock Hill Road, the report said. Hoffman died in the crash, which the FHP is investigating. His colleagues at the Crestview Fire Department are grieving and concerned for his family, said Fire Marshal Rick Sanders. "He was a good friend, a brother," Sanders said. Hoffman, who preferred to be called by his middle name, Allen, was a dedicated firefighter and a hard worker, Sanders said. He worked his way up the ranks at the small Crestview Fire Department and was named battalion chief in October 2005. He was a motorcycle enthusiast, and he and his wife, Marte, would often ride together, Sanders said. Sanders and others at the close-knit fire department, including Hoffman, had a small group that would ride together on days off, Sanders said. Before coming to Crestview, Hoffman worked for about 12 years as a firefighter with the South Walton Fire District. He was a lieutenant with the agency when he took the job in Crestview in 2002, said South Walton Fire District Deputy Chief Sean Hughes. "He was a good guy," Hughes said. "Sharp, dedicated." Sanders said the firefighters and employees at the Crestview Fire Department are focused now on getting Hoffman's family through the hard times ahead. "We're just trying to help the family," he said.