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ATWATER, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The Merced County assemblage is mourning the nonaccomplishment of educator Ron Hoffart.
Ron openly battled with crab arsenic helium served arsenic the vice principal at Mitchell Senior Elementary successful Atwater. He lost that combat successful August astatine the property of 56. "He was specified a giving man, too. He cared astir radical truthful much," said his wife, Donna Hoffart.
A twelvemonth prior, Ron started feeling symptom successful his enarthrosis and chest. "It didn't consciousness right, and truthful there's thing wrong of him that said helium needed to spell to the E.R.," Donna shared.
Doctors recovered a wide successful his lung, diagnosing him with the astir communal benignant of lung cancer, adenocarcinoma. "He was ne'er a smoker, truthful ne'er vaped, nary of that. And so, it benignant of perplexed the doctors," his woman added.
Donna, who is besides Atwater High's psychologist, says it's been a unsmooth mates of years for the family. Ron's ma passed distant past September from cancer, and his dada was diagnosed with prostate crab conscionable earlier Ron's diagnosis. "So it was similar boom, boom, boom, each successful a row," Donna explained.
The Hoffarts person been joined for 28 years and person 2 big boys. Donna and Ron some started their careers successful acquisition successful Chico earlier moving to Merced County, wherever Ron got a occupation astatine Los Banos Unified. From there, Ron made beardown impacts connected the assemblage arsenic a schoolhouse scientist moving astatine Merced City School District, Merced Union High School District, and taught arsenic an adjunct prof astatine Merced College and Fresno Pacific University.
"Then a fewer years ago, helium decided to marque a change, and helium conscionable wanted to person a antithetic interaction with kids." In July of 2023, helium became the adjunct main astatine Mitchell Senior. "Ron brought truthful overmuch joyousness to our campus," said Mitchell Senior Principal Diana Dietz.
At first, helium was hesitant to stock his travel with students and staff. But erstwhile helium did, determination was an overflow of support. "We decided to benignant of travel up with a peculiar Hats for Hoffart Day, and here's why. He said he's truly vain. He was disquieted astir losing his hair. And truthful we thought, we'll conscionable get him hats," Principal Dietz shared.
But not lone hats to wear, the schoolhouse lined the halls with colorful insubstantial hats, each with an encouraging message. "You know, we wore achromatic connected Wednesdays. We had peculiar pens for Ron. We had peculiar bracelets for Ron," Dietz added.
But adjacent though Ron and his assemblage were warring hard for his recovery, his assemblage started shutting down. He was admitted into the infirmary and passed distant successful precocious August, surrounded by family, friends, and adjacent erstwhile students who thought of Donna and Ron arsenic a 2nd ma and dad. "He was a precise loved man. And I'm proud. I'm arrogant to beryllium his wife," Donna said emotionally.
This coming November, the schoolhouse volition big a Cancer Awareness Walkathon successful Ron's honor. They volition besides proceed the My Story, My Strength Scholarship. Ron started this assistance to grant an 8th-grade pupil who has experienced a aesculapian challenge. Last year, 2 students were chosen.
