Kenneth “Kenny” Hofacker, 74, of Illinois, passed away on October 6, 2026, after a sudden heart attack in Colorado.
Born to Robert and Bonnie Hofacker, Kenny spent his early years in Elgin, Nebraska, before living in Minnesota and Colorado and making Illinois his home for the last 33 years.
As a teenager, he helped Senator Wylie tame horses and rode them in the Elgin Diamond Jubilee parade. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree from Fort Hays State University. Kenny and Janet (Currie) were married at Park Church with a honeymoon trip on Amtrak to San Francisco. Last March, Kenny planned a party at Steamboat Springs, CO to celebrate their 50 years together; along with funny stories of “He said, She said”.
He built a successful career in executive leadership with Burlington Northern, CIT, and Progress Rail (a Caterpillar company) until his retirement in 2015. His work took him around the world—to Australia, Tasmania, Brazil, Germany, Prague, Mexico, and Canada. Among his travel memories was a visit to the Eagle’s Nest in Austria, a stop that stayed with him for years. Janet accompanied him on many of the trips.
A true MacGyver, Kenny could fix just about anything. Duct tape, wire, and a jar of screws were his trusted companions, guided by his simple motto: “Don’t buy anything new if it can be fixed.” Most recently he helped blow up a raft for the grandkids’ boat rides with a spare part from a toilet and an air compressor.
Through company events he discovered golf, leaving behind a few bent clubs from tree shots and the occasional soggy shoes after retrieving a club from the water. He was an avid snow skier who held a lift ticket for 48 consecutive years and delighted in teaching novices with his signature advice: “Stand at the top of the run, point your skis straight ahead, and push down as fast as you can, maybe turn at the bottom to stop.” He never hesitated to scramble down steep ledges under the lift to recover the kids’ dropped gloves and ski poles.
Water skiing on one ski and pulling Janet and the kids behind the boat brought him joy; in later years he traded that craziness for fishing, always joking with his grandson to “long-arm” the catch so it looked bigger in the photo. Concerts, sports of every kind, dinner club outings kept life interesting—Bob Seger, Michael Jordan under the basket, and the Cubs World Series Game 5 ranked among his favorites. He also loved local car shows, collecting a few trophies, showing the ‘62 and ‘68 Corvettes he had completely restored – at times, working under the hood in 100-degree garage heat.
This year Kenny enjoyed attending the Super Bowl in California and taking a Canadian wilderness fishing trip by float plane.
Kenny is survived by his wife, Janet; daughter Megan (Josh) Biller of Colorado; sons Jonathan and Brent (Katy), both of Chicago; grandchildren Conrad and Quinn Biller, Lillie Taylor, and Milo Hofacker; sister Shirley Thorberg; and many others whose lives he impacted. There are no pending funeral arrangements at this time.
Our hope is that there is a ski mountain and a lake waiting for him on the next journey.
