Sufi Remembrance

Elizabeth Anne Hoffman
Oct. 25, 1949 – Jan. 7, 2009

Elizabeth Anne Hoffman, of Ashland died on Wed. Jan. 7, 2009, peacefully in her home, surrounded by friends, following her journey with cancer.

Born on October 25, 1949, in Chicago Heights, Ill., Beth spent the most loved parts of her childhood growing up near Niagara Falls. After graduating in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science Degree from The University of New York at Albany she moved to Eugene. In the early 80s she relocated to Rogue River to teach high school biology, before moving to Ashland to open a very successful practice as a Massage Therapist. She was the co-director of the Ashland Massage Institute from 1988 1994, and sole owner and Director from 1994 – 2003. Beth was an accomplished Nordic skier and member of the Crater Lake Ski Patrol. She was an outdoors woman, an avid gardener, a singer with the Siskyou Singers, and a lover of old time music, most recently playing fiddle with the local Quebecois music group “Mlange”. The highlights of her summers were doing massage at the Oregon Country Fair and at Lark in the Morning.

Beth was a beloved friend to many. She took the name Satiya from her teacher Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, as her heart connection to the Divine was through the Sufi tradition. As part of her Sufi tradition, she was affiliated with The Self and Soul Center, and trained in The Mevlevi Tradition of “Turning” (whirling dervishes).

She is survived by her mother; 104 year old grandmother; six brothers; one sister and their families. There will be a memorial service on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009, from 4-6 p.m., in Ashland at Temple Emek Shalom, 1800 Main Street.

Donations can be made in her memory to the Sufi Order (www.sufiorder.org), JPR (www.jpr.org), the Sierra Club (www.sierraclub.org ) or the Union of Concerned Scientists (www.ucsusa.org).