cheerful and upbeat … and she could take the heat
learned in a pragmatic way of living … moreover, she was always giving
a bit insecure like most all of us … but not one to fuss
ready to dive into really living life … florence never really sweat the strife
………
simple country life
though knowledgeable of a more powerful, luxury-cluttered rich-folks’ life
hers was a relatively straight-and-narrow poor life
yet she did experience big san antone, texas ranch life
……….
the kallison ranch and the studer’s
the moody’s and the goad’s
jefferson high school
and the best of the best … good ol’ johnny sonny hoffmann and his family’s south-central texas spread
……….
florence and sonny wed, ranched, and had young ‘uns
the hoffmann ranch, now alamo ranch subdivision, was sold
and it was soon off to rio medina and the haby settlement of old
to raise three young uns in the lovely medina valley where the beautiful medina river runs
……….
(florence lived for most of her years; sometimes in joy, rarely in tears
appropriately on top of a hill in a late 1800s-alsatian schott-home in rio medina, texas)
she worked hard and smartly at country life … and did well
sewing, ceramics, scrapbooks … over which her family could rightly swell
venison steaks, holiday gingerbread structures, quilting
sammy tschirhart’s haby’s baker; teacher of quilting
(once she, via “dh”, even doctored up the medina river with her yeasty dough from that cake-, pastry, bread-making store)
……….
devoted! devoted! so devoted!
always devoted to sonny
devoted to parents walter and lbj’s leona sachtleben; to brother james and his son jesse james
to rural life and not so overly worried about money
……….
devoted to her children
teaching them crafts
to sew, to cook
to get along well in the world
……….
florence ann mae sachtleben* hoffmann (“sachtleben” means “live gently” according to german-speaking son of old devine amigo, mark lessing)
she was a good woman
she was a good wife; she was a good mother concerned with her children’s protection
she was a good texan
Florence Hoffmann was a beautiful cowgirl lovingly hooked to a humble, knowledgeable cowman
A roper’s faithful companion … on long and short rodeo trips with a horse in that little-bitty trailer in the back!
(And that cowman roper Johnny “Sonny” Hoffmann who Florence Ann lassoed back in elementary school west of SA in the Helotes area
Was also an amazing barbado-lamb barbequer, mechanic, welder, watch-fixer, car repairman, deer hunter [along with Florence earlier on], meat processor, sausage maker, cook of many family breakfasts and feasts. He definitely was a keeper!)
In the immediate days and nights
After I met beautiful Elizabeth “Betsy” Florence Hoffman
At the Quihi Christmas Dance
Her Mom Florence ALWAYS treated me kindly and like family
On one of the very first of my encounters
In my life with Florence Hoffmann
I brought her lovely daughter home late
And I had downed a few beers
(which was not deemed to be so terrible for this Alsatian/German family)
“It’s late” said my future mother-in-law
“And you are in no shape to drive to Devine!
Get upstairs and get in bed and spend the night there!!”
… This truly shocked paul bain martin! It was something my parents would never have done! But Florence took me under her wing from the get-go
Florence Sachtleben Hoffmann could cook the best venison steaks and delicious dove dumplings! (And I ate many … along with scraping her delicious icing off her cakes, and quickly woofing it down … and suffering the wrath of Betsy’s older sister, Dinkum, who somehow just knew I was the culprit [I left a little!])
She was an amazing artist and craftsperson
… She meticulously and artfully constructed so many beautiful and interesting quilts
Moreover, she taught quilting for many years in her life and collaborated with Poppy Stewart of Black Creek, Texas (another of my all-time heroes)
Mrs. Hoffmann crafted clothing for her children … and having learned this skill from Florence, her girls won various awards
Mrs. Hoffmann crafted and fired beautiful ceramics
Mrs. Hoffmann developed fantastic, educational, and interesting scrapbooks
And for Christmas and her deeply loved grandkids, Mrs. Hoffmann designed and built beautiful, elaborate and delicious gingerbread houses
Florence could cook anything well
She made amazing cakes at home; they were sure nuff swell!
She was also an early baker at Haby’s in Castroville
(And yes, there WAS the time she [& “DH”] foamed up the Medina River with her Haby’s yeast dough, down over the hill! … That ol’ river got its fill!!!)
Once Mrs. Hoffmann labored late one week
Making a fantastic birthday cake for me in a creative streak
Then she placed it on the kitchen table one afternoon to rest
‘Til my birthday party in the coming weekend of zest
Sonny arrived home late that evening from his machinist works at Lone Star brewery with a tremendous hunger
He spied the cake as a big beautifully delicious hunk … and took a big chunk
He was enjoying it so immensely as Florence walked in
But then Florence exclaimed loudly … “Sonny, that’s Paul’s birthday cake!”
Mr. Hoffmann responded with his sheepish ever-endearing devilish grin
And without nary a blink this flowed wonderfully from his Alsatian boca,
“Happy Birthday to Paul
Happy birthday to Paul … “
(I must mention that for me
Being a part of the Florence Hoffmann family
Meant many wonderful family-gatherings on their stretch of the Medina River
Swimming and canoeing on that river and skiing on Medina Lake … and so much more
Florence and her family worked hard
But they played hard too
Much more than the Martin family in which I was raised
Dances, possum!!!??? trapping with John Walter [and catching SOME raccoons], deer hunting and meat processing, sausage making, a horse race in Fredericksburg, and so many family get-togethers)
………………..
Florence was a graduate of Jefferson High in San Antonio (Thanks to her Dad’s gracious boss, Mr. Goad, she was loaned a Cadillac to travel each day to travel about 20 miles due north to Jefferson in her last year from their new ranch locale south of SA near Mitchell Lake … and back)
At birth on August third, 1928, she was exposed to a life of hard work of a south central Texas ranch foreman and cowboy
But her dad August Walter Sachtleben and thusly also, her Mom Elva Leona Zumwalt, did work for the likes of the car dealers the Goads, very wealthy Moodys, the Studers, and good ol’ Perry Kallison west and then south of San Antonio
Through these jobs of her dad, Florence was exposed to various aspects of our U.S. caste system and this resulted in one savvy woman
……………………
Mrs. Hoffmann and I actually had many similar political and social justice views
We did have somewhat of a similar philosophy of life
Sure … we would argue, and she would stand her ground
But we did have cordial meetings of minds and were always friends
(And when I brought my friends over from other countries
Like “Luica” Campos da Silva and Valeria or Kazik Wiech
Florence welcomed them
And fed and entertained them as she would family
I will stress again, however, that closeness to family and her children were a priority number one for Mrs. Hoffmann
Therefore, she was not particularly happy that Betsy and I married and immediately went off to Florida to study and research insects
Shortly after receiving my doctorate, I took a pasture entomology research position in Georgia and she was not so pleased
Then we flew the coop of the U.S. to a Brazilian beef cattle research center with three of her grandchildren and that didn’t really make her shout with glee
But she still loved me!)
Sonny and Florence did travel the Southwest U.S. (National Parks and even to Las Vegas!) and a bit in the Southeast (and even to Branson) and loved what they experienced in their country as a whole
But Florence’s true love was Texas (all kinds of Texas rodeos) and the Texas Hill Country
(Moreover, Mrs. Hoffmann loved and respected Hill Country President LBJ …
Way back when President Johnson would on occasion call Florence’s Mom with an introductory, “Leooona” and then a request followed to be transferred over to one of the ranch honchos who might help him with a campaign contribution)
…………………………….
Finally, there were two great loves outside of family who Mrs. Hoffmann and I had in common …
Neil Young and his music …
And Willie.
BUT MOSTLY WILLIE!!!
(Florence & Johnny enjoyed Willie as far back as at least the early 1950s and 1960s at John T. Floore’s in Helotes and other locales)
There’s much more to Florence Hoffmann’s amazing life
But that’s all for now!
With love,
paul bain martin
(Husband of Elizabeth Florence Hoffmann Martin & father of three of Mrs. Florence Hoffmann’s grandkids and seven great ones)
7 S’s / VV->^^
