Obituary of Jan Marie Hoefelmeyer

Jan Marie Hoefelmeyer, 64, died April 24, 2019 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.She was born November 26, 1954 in Belafonte, Pennsylvania to Jack Lyle and Loretta Fredericka (Strobel) Buckingham.Jan lead a varied career until 1983, where she began pursuit of her degree. She had done retail, service industry, and clerical positions, and decided those were not for her. As a military dependent, she traveled to where her father was deployed, giving her new experiences throughout the United States and Europe. She had a full family life, with five siblings: Carla, Collin, Mia, and Mathew. Jan received her B.Sc. degree in Computer Science in 1990. She worked for Kaman Science, where her work as an engineer was notable - she worked on reactive armor - her work directly saved the lives of countless American servicemen and women. She later moved to MCI, where she was an SME on systems management. She then transitioned to Frontier Technology, Inc., where she used and improved their logistics tools. Jan married Ralph in 1991, where they enjoyed over twenty-seven years of marriage. She then transitioned to FT mother in 2004 of foster daughters, and later her granddaughter, Lilleigh, as well as homemaker. She made a huge difference in the life of one foster daughter, Nikki, who is now a successful married mother of two. She devoted the last twelve years of her life to ensuring Lilleigh had the best possible upbringing and happy childhood.Jan loved hummingbirds, gardens, flowers, vegetable gardens, roses, making custom jewelry, sewing, and the Rocky Mountains. She was always investigating new hobbies and was an avid reader. She practiced gourmet cooking with Ralph, in what she called the "kitchen dance". She always had dogs, who were utterly devoted to her; they'd sleep by her side of the bed, come at her call/whistle, obey as they could. She was a marksman and huntswoman, who hunted with Ralph on occasion.She was a devoted wife and daughter, who cared for her parents, siblings, and husband, in sickness and health.Jan is preceded in death by her mother, Loretta Buckingham; son, Randy Hoefelmeyer; brother, Thacher Buckingham; and sister, Carla Buckingham.She is survived by her husband, Ralph S. Hoefelmeyer; son, William "Bill" Harper; guardian granddaughter, Lilleigh Mitchell-Harper; daughter-in-law, Laurie Guarjardo; grandchildren, Aiden, Layla, and Randi; father, LTC Jack Buckingham; brothers, Collin (Judy) Buckingham and Mathew (Richard) Buckingham; sister, Mia Ballentine; nieces and nephews, Taven, Kaitlyn, Halee, Grace, Beca, Tyler, Dolan and Zachary.Memorial Service, 1:00PM, Saturday, May 4, 2019, The Springs Funeral Services-North, 6575 Oakwood Boulevard, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80923.Graveside Service, 12:00PM, Monday, May 6, 2019, Pikes Peak National Cemetery, 10545 Drennan Road, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80925. Events Memorial Service Saturday, May 4, 2019 1:00PM The Springs Funeral Services - North 6575 Oakwood Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80923 Phone: 719-207-8611 Graveside Monday, May 6, 2019 12:00PM Pikes Peak National Cemetery 10545 Drennan Road Colorado Springs, CO 80925 Phone: 202-632-8035