Walter Hofman, well-known Montco coroner, dies

By concluding that Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua died of natural causes - just before the conspiracy and child-endangerment trial of a former top aide - Dr. Walter I. Hofman put an end to swirling rumors.

He once reopened a 20-year file and changed a cause of a baby's death from sudden infant death syndrome to suffocation, leading to the conviction of the child's nanny.

On another occasion, he recalled, he showed up for an autopsy on an apparently lifeless body and noticed a moving finger. The man was hospitalized and lived for several more days.

Dr. Hofman, 79, of Merion and Delray Beach, Fla., a forensic pathologist for 50 years and Montgomery County coroner for eight, died Friday, Feb. 19, of cancer at Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse in Center City.

Dr. Hofman described his job simply. "I speak for the dead," he said last year.

And he took that role seriously.

When he assumed office, he reviewed every cause of death from the prior year, changing 50. "And I was being very generous," he said.

His wife of 52 years, Ethel, said her husband, a Democrat, ran for coroner after a brief attempt at retirement. "He couldn't sit still," she said. "He really loved what he did."

In August, he decided not to seek a third four-year term, citing a desire to focus on consulting and lecturing.

"Walter was a gentleman, an expert, and a mensch," said Josh Shapiro, chairman of the Montgomery County commissioners. "He's left an indelible mark on his field and our county."

Dr. Hofman was the only elected coroner in the state who was certified to conduct autopsies. He performed many, and presided over others done by his assistants in his office in Norristown.

His staff was devoted to him, calling him "Doc."

He was known for being careful, methodical, and kind to the families of those whose deaths he investigated.

Dr. Hofman was born in Berlin in 1936 and became a U.S. citizen in 1944.

He earned a bachelor of science degree from Roosevelt University in Chicago in 1958, and a medical degree in 1965 from the University of Basel in Switzerland. He completed a pathology residency at the Boston University Medical Center, and a fellowship at the Maryland medical examiner's office.

Dr. Hofman held positions at the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University, Harvard University Medical School, and others.

Although he had planned to become an obstetrician, Dr. Hofman said, he was drawn to the investigative nature of pathology.

"He said he was a detective," Ethel Hofman said. "People said, 'You know, you're like CSI, and he said, 'Well, not exactly. In CSI, everything is solved in 45 minutes. In real life . . . it takes a bit longer.' "

Dr. Hofman worked for about 20 years at Roxborough Memorial Hospital, holding several leadership positions including president of the medical staff.

Known for his authoritative testimony, he was an expert witness in more than two dozen Pennsylvania counties, as well as testifying in federal cases and ones in other states.

Dr. Hofman served in the Air Force Reserve from 1968 until 1992, holding the rank of lieutenant colonel and working as a forensic pathologist and lecturer. In his two terms as coroner, he investigated several high-profile and puzzling deaths.

He was unafraid to disagree with other medical examiners, or leave police and prosecutors waiting as he did his work.

Dr. Hofman advocated for changes in Pennsylvania's system for electing coroners, arguing that politics should be removed and coroners should be subject to certification requirements.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by sons Andrew and Michael, a sister, and six grandchildren.

Services are planned for 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21, at Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El, 1001 Remington Rd., Wynnewood. Burial will be at Haym Salomon Memorial Park, Frazer.

lmccrystal@phillynews.com

610-313-8116 @Lmccrystal

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated how long Hofman and his wife were married. It was 52 years.