Ethel Amelia Hoff

Ethel Amelia Hoff, 99, of Mayville ND, died on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at the Luther Memorial Home in Mayville. Ethel A. Button was born March 3, 1914 in Irvington, New Jersey to William J. and Wilhelmina (Wooster) Button. The family moved to Chicago, IL in 1927. Ethel’s mother died when she was only 3 years old. Her father remarried and she was raised by a devoted step mother, Frieda Busse. Ethel graduated from Deerfield, IL High School in June of 1932. She was a professional musician and a member of the Chicago Federation of Musicians for over 50 years. Ethel played the trombone, 5 string bass, piano and organ. Ethel started with the piano at the age of 6 and the trombone at age 13. She studied trombone with the “famous” Jarslov Schimmer of Chicago. She joined the Chicago Women’s Symphony in 1937. In March of 1941, Ethel joined the U.S.O. camp shows and traveled to military bases all over the U.S.A.. In the fall of 1944, her group volunteered for overseas duty. They were sent to Italy in January of 1945, and were assigned to the troop ship USS West Point. On the ship were 10,000 soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division Ski Troop of the 24th and 26th and 16 girls from the band. A German submarine attempted to torpedo the ship on their second day of travel. They landed in Naples, Italy on January 13, 1945. Ethel met her husband, Oliver Hoff, in Ishpeming, Michigan in May of 1948 and they married January 1, 1949 in Fargo, ND. The couple lived in Michigan until 1951 and then moved to Lagrange, IL and resided there until 1988. Ethel worked for Allied-Jackson Moving Company in Lagrange from 1954 to 1979. She and her husband moved to Mayville, ND in July of 1988. Ethel was a member of the Mayville Congregational United Church of Christ. She was a 65year member of The Order of Eastern Star, Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem and the Sons of Norway. Ethel was preceded in death by her husband, Oliver on November 22, 2010; her father, mother and step mother; 1 sister and 3 brothers. Visitation: Will be on Friday, March 29, 2013 from 4 - 6 PM with a 6 PM Public Prayer Service at the Luther Memorial Home Chapel and will resume one hour prior to the service at the church. Funeral Service: 10:30 AM Saturday, March 30, 2013 at Mayville Congregational United Church of Christ in Mayville, ND. Burial: Ishpeming City Cemetery, Ishpeming, Michigan.