Steven Hoefler, Retired Colorado Law Enforcement Officer and Vietnam-Era Army Veteran, Dies at 83
Hoefler, who spent 30 years in Colorado law enforcement and served at Fitzsimons Army Hospital during the Vietnam War, died March 23, 2025, and was buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery.
By Luis Fernandez ·
Steven DeLoss Hoefler, who spent three decades in law enforcement for the State of Colorado, died March 23, 2025, according to a memorial notice. He was 83. Hoefler was born December 25, 1941, in northern California to Howard Otto Hoefler and Naomi Catherine (Clark) Hoefler.
He spent part of his childhood in rural Lompoc, California, and later lived in Petaluma and San Rafael. He graduated from Santa Clara High School. During the Vietnam War he served in the U.S. Army as a psychiatric technician, stationed at Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Aurora, Colorado.
In 1965 Hoefler married Jacqueline Slingo. The couple raised three sons: Tom, Adam and Benjamin. Benjamin died of brain cancer in 2001, and Hoefler and his wife then raised Benjamin's son, Noah Hoefler.
Hoefler retired from the State of Colorado in 1997 after 30 years in law enforcement, where he worked as a police officer, a trainer and an intelligence resource. Outside his career he was a Boy Scout leader, and he and his wife served on Marriage Encounter weekends. He also worked briefly as a real estate agent in the Denver area.
From 2005 to 2020 the couple lived in Rockaway Beach, Oregon. There Hoefler served as head elder at their church, and the two oversaw Noah's activities in Scouts and Christian school.
Chemotherapy treatment for bladder cancer left Hoefler with what is known as "chemo brain," and he lived with progressing dementia for several years. The notice says he stayed active throughout, joining others in memory care groups and enjoying singing at the front of the room with a microphone.
In 2020, Hoefler and his wife moved to Leesburg, Florida, where they lived in a senior community and took part in church groups.
He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline Carol Hoefler; his sons Thomas William Hoefler and Adam Troy Hoefler; and his brother, Paul George Hoefler. Seven grandchildren also survive him: Jeffery, Megan, Trystan, Morgan, Noah, Gabriella and Hope. So do seven great-grandchildren: Joshua, Nora, William, Gavin, Claire, JoAnn and Eden.
Hoefler was buried April 9, 2025, at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Littleton, Colorado. The family asks that donations be made to the Sonrise Respite Program at Lake Deaton UMC, 6500 Wesleyan Way, Wildwood, FL 34785. The notice says he "will be greatly missed by all who knew him." No memorial events had been reported as of the notice.
Originally published by News Media House · Source: The Denver Post
