Unexpected death of longtime teacher devastates Raleigh high school

A longtime Wake County social studies teacher unexpectedly died over the winter break.

Parents at Enloe High School in Raleigh learned of the death of teacher Joe Hoffman in a message sent by the school on Dec. 30. No cause of death was mentioned in the message.

“It is with great sadness that I write this message to let you know that Enloe teacher, Dr. Joe Hoffman, passed away unexpectedly last night,” Jacqueline Jordan, Enloe’s principal, said in the message. “Our condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to his/her family and friends.”

Hoffman was hired by the Wake County school system in August 2003. All of his time in Wake was spent at Enloe, a magnet school on Clarendon Crescent in East Raleigh.

Enloe students returned to school Monday after winter break.

Students devastated by Enloe teacher’s death

Jordan urged parents to monitor their children’s behavior to see if they’ve been affected by Hoffman’s death.

Jordan said any changes in behavior that seem extreme and/or do not seem to go away should be brought to the attention of the school counselor or someone in the community that the parent thinks can help their child.

Justina Pierga, an Enloe parent, posted on Instagram that her daughter feels devastated by the loss.

“She came home everyday talking about this teacher and the events from class,” Pierga posted. “Enloe is going to never be the same. I am devastated for his wife and children along with all his students.

“I pray I can help her navigate her grief and help her make it through the rest of the school year without him.”

Two teacher deaths in December

Hoffman’s death comes after another Wake County teacher died earlier in December.

Hannah Keller, 41, died on Dec. 5 following a lengthy battle with the blood cancer, Myelodysplastic Syndrome, according to her obituary. Keller was a math teacher at Garner High School and a member of the school’s softball coaching staff.

“This hurts because she was one of the most supportive teachers I’ve ever had … when I was struggling on my math she would invite me to eat lunch with her during her planning periods and help me understand and had the patience of a saint … her humor and compassion will be missed,” Jaque Scott, a former Garner High student, posted on Facebook.

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