Patricia Anne (Young) Hofherr

Patricia Anne Hofherr of St. James passed away Monday, February 27, 2023 at Phelps Health in Rolla, Missouri. She was 90 years of age.

Patricia, the daughter  of the late Gerald S. and Mary Angelia (Wimmer) Young, was born August 19, 1932 in Lakewood, Ohio. She was united in marriage to James Richard Hofherr on June 26, 1954 in Muncie, Indiana.

Patricia is survived by her sons: Andrew Hofherr of Steelville, MO; John Hofherr (Jenny) of Calistoga, CA; and Peter Hofherr (Beth) of Jefferson City, MO; daughter, Leslie Anne Hofherr of Encinitas, CA: sister, Libby Loose (Jack) of Huntsville, AL; and seven grandchildren: Brandon, Mara, Finlay, Audrey, Gavin, Samuel, and David.

She is preceded in death by parents and husband, James.

Patricia was the co-founder of the St. James Winery in 1970.  She and her husband James, started the winery in St. James Missouri at a time when there were only 440 wineries in the United States and very few in the Midwest.  Patricia and James chose St. James because of Missouri’s rich history of wine before prohibition and the impact of Welch’s National Grape Co-ops history of grape growing in the St. James region.

During the 1970s and 80s, she and her husband worked closely with the Held family, owners of Stone Hill Winery, and other wineries to remove road blocks and create an environment for the development and growth of the wine industry in Missouri. Through the development of industry associations, partnerships with Missouri State Government, Farm Bureau, Institutions of Higher Education, and various tourism organizations, the industry has grown to what today has an estimated economic impact of $3.2 Billion annually on the Missouri economy.

From its humble beginnings, the winery grew to be one of the largest and most awarded wineries East of the Rockies.  Some of the awards and accolades received over the years include the recognition by Bon Appetit as having produced one of the top 50 wines in the world. In 2014, the winery was recognized as the 14th most awarded winery in the world by the World Association of Wine and Spirits Writers and Journalists in the their annual ranking of the top 100 most awarded wineries.

Public visitation will be 5-8 PM Thursday, March 2, 2023 at Jones Funeral Home in St. James, MO.

Funeral services and burial will be private.

Memorials may be made to St. James Public Schools Scholarship Fund.

Online condolences may be entered at jonesfunerals.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of Jones Funeral Home in St. James, MO.

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