Billy Joe Hoff

Our beloved father, grandfather, brother, and uncle Billy Joe Hoff went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, December 28, 2019. He was surrounded by family and in peace as he passed, watched over on that final day by his wife, children, and grandchildren.

Billy Joe was born June 5, 1930, at Grady Hospital and raised both in Atlanta and Rutledge, Georgia. He came into this world making a huge entrance with his twin sister Betty Jean, the biggest twins born at Grady that year. Throughout their lives they stayed deeply connected, speaking almost everyday and visiting one another whenever possible. They raised their beautiful voices to the Lord in church as children and worked on the farm each day, memories that he loved to recount.

A man of great physical size, strength, and heart, he excelled in both basketball and football during his time at Tucker High School. After graduating in 1949, he joined the Air Force and served his beloved country in Korea from 1950 to 1954. Billy Joe had a treasure trove of stories from this time in his life and he experienced many places in the world that opened his eyes to how others live. He saw both riches and struggles and kept those experiences with him his whole life.

After returning home from service, he purchased his own Gulf service station in Tucker and operated that for two years. When DuPont came to town, he sold his station and found a new passion. Billy Joe worked for DuPont for 28 years, from 1956 to 1984, in a career that kept both his hands and his mind busy. Shortly after settling into his career at DuPont, he made a very important discovery. In a furniture store in downtown Tucker, he discovered an unexpected surprise: the true love of his life.

Ms. Allene Dodgen was shopping for a bedroom suite but she stumbled upon the man that she was destined to be with. After a whirlwind romance with many dates out on the town in his 1958 Oldsmobile Convertible, white with red interior, Allene was sold. He proposed after just three short months and they married and lived a life of bliss for sixty one years.

Decades of love, collaboration, work in the church together, and lots and lots of Allene’s delicious cooking were enjoyed by them both. Three children, seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchidren came from their love, ensuring that the strength and heart of Billy Joe will live on.

Billy Joe retired from DuPont but kept busy painting, repairing, and generally being handy for anyone who needed him. He was a devoted attendant of his church, the First Presbyterian Church of Tucker, and spent many days working in the church yard, repairing the church building, and serving God with his hands and his heart. He was a Deacon and Elder for over 40 years, loving God and raising praise in every aspect of his life.

His humor, his heart, his love, his caring, his humanity, and his love for his fellow man will be deeply missed but most passionately celebrated by the family he leaves behind.

Preceding him in death are his parents, Ruby and George Hoff, and brothers, Robert and Arden Hoff. He is survived by his devoted wife, Emma Allene Hoff, and children, Susan Kelley of Tucker, Georgia, Sandra Woulfe (Dan) of Mansfield, Georgia, and Michael Hoff (Diane) of Denver, Colorado. He also leaves behind his seven grandchildren, Michael Kelley (Sarah) of Anderson, South Carolina, Amanda Kelley of Tucker, Georgia, Robert Adams (Julie) of Covington, Georgia, Richard Adams (Kendall) of Midlothian, Texas, and Francesca, Caden, and Alena Hoff of Denver, Colorado.

Billy Joe leaves behind his dearest twin sister Betty Jean and his treasured nieces and nephews for whom he never once missed a wedding or a graduation. Special thanks to his nephew Jem who helped for many years to make decisions and support his uncle in all his needs. Many cousins, friends, and non-blood family members will deeply love and miss Billy Joe and will honor his boundless love at his passing. He adored, praised, and raised up his God and family above all else. He will rest easy in the Lord now that he is at home.

Services will be held at the A.S. Turner and Sons Funeral Home in Decatur, Georgia on Thursday, January 2, 2020. Visitation will be between 1:00 and 4:00pm with service and reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to The Smile Train, https://my.smiletrain.org/.