Virginia Beach —Kristen Diane Hofheimer of Burnsville, North Carolina and Virginia Beach, Virginia died at home on January 18, 2019 surrounded by friends and family and her beloved ragdoll cat, Maybe. She was 49 years old.
Kristen grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia where she attended Virginia Beach Friends School, and then skipped her senior year at Kempsville High School to attend and graduate cum laude from Sweet Briar College. She went on to earn a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Virginia Law School and co-found The Hofheimer Family Law Firm.
While she was active and a leader in a number of social and legal organizations, it was not Kristen’s biographical credentials that defined her: it was her love of adventure, her many friendships, her enjoyment of MIXXEDFIT dance, and her choice to take on bold fights for all things she cared about. Her last and most heroic challenge was cancer, where she turned a death sentence into a life-proclaiming gift, in her words, plucking all the fruit from the tree of life, and making sure those she loved would stay strong. As one of her friends wrote, Kristen inspired others, not because of her valiant fight against cancer. It was the humor, peace, love, and zest for life that she showed while living in the shadow of death.
Many people are left to carry forth her love of life including her son Shay Flanagan, his wife Morgan and their son Nova; Shay’s father Scot Flanagan; her parents Charles and Diane Hofheimer; her sister Kerry Hofheimer and partner George Larsen; her brother R.D. Hofheimer; her niece and nephew, Makenzie and Chase Hofheimer; and her spouse and fellow adventurer, Melissa Giove.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Virginia Beach Friends School Wilson Center, 1537 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23451 on March 30 at 1 pm. Memorial gifts in Kristen’s honor may be made to the Wilson Scholarship Fund at Virginia Beach Friends School. To send online condolences, visit www.yanceyfuneralservice.com.