Arnold “Arnie” Hoffman

SOUTH PORTLAND – “Arnie”, sailor, builder, creator, father, grandfather, storyteller, photographer, lover of the pleasures of life, was born on Aug. 22, 1946, in Newark, N.J. and raised in South Orange, N.J. He graduated from Columbia High School and earned a BA in Psychology from Clark University, and a BFA in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design.

From a young age he was a lover of the ocean and boats. Some of his happiest years were spent sailing up and down the Maine Coast on long voyages with his family and on many, often harrowing, solo sailing adventures.

He also had a deep love of design and construction and put the full force of his creative energy and experimentation into all he did. He built two homes from the ground up on his beloved land in Guilford, and spent countless hours designing and renovating all the homes he ever lived in.

He owned and ran many businesses including: Imagemakers graphic design and photography, Jack of All Trades design and construction, and Hoffman Design and Construction, LLC. He had a long career in advertising and sales: working for Numberall, Sweet Potato Magazine, Daigle Associates, Pella Windows, Industrial Energy Systems, MBF Windows, and Paradigm Windows.

Arnie was funny and spent many nights laughing around the dinner table with his family and friends. He knew how to have a good time and could talk to anyone. If you needed help with something, he was there. He was a doer, not one to sit still. Arnie always went the extra mile, even if you didn’t want him to. He was the consummate people-person. He would always tell you what he really thought. He took a lot of risks; he made some big mistakes, and had some really big successes. He was never afraid to put himself out there. There is so much about him to admire and be thankful for. He lived life on his own terms. He was like Indiana Jones, Bob Dylan, Robin Williams, Bob Villa, and Jack Sparrow, all rolled into one.

He had two loves of his life: Catherine Chapman, his college sweetheart, back to the land partner, and wife for 20 years; and later in life, Margie Gold, whom he met in Maine, but who grew up one town over from his childhood home in New Jersey. They were married for 20 years and were partners on many memorable adventures.

Arnie was predeceased by his sister, Rita Hoffman of Basking Ridge, N.J. and survived by his sister, Harriet Lacker of Toledo, Ohio, his brother-in-law David Hoffman of Basking Ridge, N.J.; his daughter, Kyla Hoffman of Medford, Mass.; his son, Aaron Hoffman and daughter-in-law, Jenna Hoffman and grandchildren Silas and Fiona Dunn-Hoffman of Scarborough; and many dearly beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

After a lifelong battle with mental illness, he took his own life on July 7, 2025 at the age of 78. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or feeling hopeless, know that you are loved and that life will not be the same without you.

A funeral will be held on Aug. 3 at 10 a.m. at Congregation Bet Ha’am at 81 Westbrook St., South Portland. All are welcome to attend and share stories at the gathering to follow. If you would like to attend remotely instead, please email the Rabbi’s assistant at: assistant@bethaam.org.

We will never forget you: Grandpa Arnie, Daddio, Arn, Captain Jack, Home Improvement. A life taken too soon that will be greatly missed by all who knew him and whose lives he touched.

In lieu of flowers, in his honor we encourage you to take a sail or get started on that home improvement project and think of how happy that would make him.