Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Marvin Blaine Hofeling ("Blaine") passed away peacefully on August 19, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. He was 90 years old.

Born March 14, 1935, Blaine was the son of Thomas Hofeling and Leah Johnson Hofeling. He grew up in Murray, Utah, one of six brothers and one sister. While serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Toronto, Canada, he met Luana Jean MacLachlan. They were married on December 17, 1958, in the Salt Lake Temple.

In the early years of their marriage, Blaine worked the graveyard shift with the Salt Lake City Police Department while attending law school at the University of Utah by day. In 1964, he graduated from the University of Utah College of Law (now the S.J. Quinney College of Law) and later earned an MBA through the Executive MBA program at the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business.

His career took him to Utah Power & Light, where he became risk manager and developed models that became standards adopted by large public utilities across the country. He was instrumental in helping the company recover from the disastrous Wilberg Mine fire and, even more importantly, in ensuring that families devastated by the loss of their loved ones were cared for.

Much of his career was spent in the insurance and reinsurance markets of London, Munich, and elsewhere, where he was highly respected for innovative thinking and integrity—the true currency in those markets. When the 2002 Olympic Winter Games sought coverage, international markets strongly encouraged Blaine's involvement; once he joined the effort, the markets responded positively and provided the necessary insurance programs.

After retiring from Utah Power & Light, Blaine spent the next fifteen years teaching Business Law and Business Management at the David Eccles School of Business (University of Utah). His rigorous, real-world curriculum earned him lasting respect from students who often wrote years later to thank him for teaching them how to learn, think, and create real-world solutions to complex problems.

Blaine loved to read and learn; his most cherished material possessions were his books—tens of thousands of them. Every child and grandchild knew that a visit to his house meant going home with several carefully recommended titles. He was invested in exposing his posterity to new and challenging ideas.

He loved to travel, especially to Europe, and took his last trip there with a grandson in 2023 at age 88. His family estimates he made more than 110 trips to Europe for personal and professional reasons throughout his life. He was passionate about family history and genealogy, spending many nights throughout Europe combing through parish registers and other records. Blaine connected hundreds of family members around the world who had not known of each other before his work.

Blaine's life was defined by integrity, faith, and a gentle strength that steadied those around him. His highest devotion was to his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.