HOEFLE

Ocean Park resident Dora Hoefle, 96, has had a variety of homes throughout her life. Though she has lived in Holland, Edmonton, Northern Alberta and Surrey, she has spent the most time - over half of her life - in Ocean Park.
In 1948, after their children, Stan and Joyce had moved out of the family home in Cloverdale, Dora and her husband Eugene came to Ocean Park. They built a gas station and bought a piece of property on Tuttle Road (now 129A Avenue) where they made their home.
That gas station, of course, stood where the Ocean Park Arco now stands, on the northwest corner of 16th Avenue and 128th Street. Mrs. Hoefle remembers the gas station costing roughly $2000.
Though her memory isn't as strong as it once was, Mrs. Hoefle can still remember a fair amount about her and Mr. Hoefle's early years in Ocean Park. For four hundred dollars, the Hoefles bought two vacant lots beside their own, and while he ran the gas station, she cleared them. She was a strong woman, and enjoyed the physical work. Once cleared, the lots sold for five hundred dollars.
The Hoefles' son Stan later took over the gas station, and eventually sold it. Mr. Hoefle continued to work there, taking over while the new owner, Bob McKechnie, went home for lunch, until he retired about two years later.
In 1960, the Hoefles sold their property on Tuttle and bought a lot on the northern corner of 16th Avenue and Ocean Park Road. Mr. Hoefle built a house right on the corner, and the couple lived there. He later built a house on the Ocean Park Road side of the lot, and sold the corner half. These homes that Mr. Hoefle built still stand, and Mrs. Hoefle continues to live in the second one, though Mr. Hoefle passed away in 1990.
For many years, Mrs. Hoefle was an active member of the Ocean Park Community Association. She was president and vice-president of various committees, and was one of two women who spent a day cleaning the painting which now hangs at the back of the stage in the Hall. Although she is no longer actively involved, Mrs. Hoefle maintains that it is extremely important for people to be involved in their community, and is glad that the OPCA is still running strong.
Mrs. Hoefle has now lived in Ocean Park for over fifty years. She doesn't get out much anymore, but her family and friends visit and take care of her, and neighbours keep her informed of community news. To many of us she is an integral part of Ocean Park, with a large community spirit.
by Kathryn Marlow