Joe Hoffer, a teacher in Michigan, has passed away after being diagnosed with Mesothelioma cancer. Joe was 61-years-old and was a former board president for the Holland Public Schools and the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District.

Joe blamed his Mesothelioma on being exposed to asbestos during a summer job in a furnace factory while he was in college.

The Holland school’s Superintendent, Karan McPhee remembers Joe: “Joe always demonstrated a special place in his heart for students who struggled and students who needed some alternatives to how they were going to find success. Joe was one of the good guys who cared deeply about people, personally and professionally. His soft spot was for students who, for whatever reason, needed non-traditional ways to earn a diploma, which he believed were so important.”

While school board member Kevin Clark says of Joe: “On the board, he was kind of a story teller, and it was a great style,” Clark said. “He was a good leader. He cared deeply for the school district and kids. It doesn’t get any better than that. His fingerprints are still all over Holland Public Schools.”

Memorial donations can be made to International Mesothelioma Program, 75 Francis St., Boston, MA, 02115.