Each year Tyndale holds a Thanksgiving dinner for our students, faculty, and staff. This year was a particularly special event as we had an opportunity to say âthank youâ and âgoodbyeâ to a colleague and a friend: Dory Hofstra.
Dory is one of those people whose dedication does not end with retirementâit simply evolves into a new chapter of service. She began her career as a kindergarten teacher and eventually became principal of a school. She then worked in the financial department of a travel agency for almost 20 years until she officially retired. God led her to Tyndale where she served from 2010 till 2025, at first volunteering in the office of the Academic Dean. Very soon help was needed in the financial department where she served faithfully for well over 10 years. To know Dory is to feel genuinely cared for. She did not just come back to work after her first retirementâshe came back because helping others is simply who she is. I have watched her step in before anyone even had to ask, offering her time, her advice, or even her own resources with a generosity that never seeks recognition. What I treasure most is the way she makes people feel. Being around her lifts you. Her laugh, her spark, her unshakable optimismâthey are the kind of things that settle into your memory. She brings an energy that reminds you to say yes to life: to try something new, to keep moving forward, to find joy even in the ordinary. She has this beautiful gift of turning a workplace into a community, and colleagues into friends. I feel privileged to have worked beside her and honored to have learned from the way she lives her life: fully, generously, and with an open heart. She brings warmth into every situation, hope into every challenge, and laughter into even the busiest days. To work beside her is to be reminded of kindness, resilience, and the quiet beauty of a life lived with purpose and love.
You will be greatly missed, dear Dory!
Nenad Tunguz Vice President of Operations and Administration - November 2025
