Roger Hoff Sworn In as New Grant County Commissioner

Roger Hoff was sworn in as the new  member of the Grant County Board of Commissioners at the courthouse in Milbank on Tuesday, September 30. It marked the beginning of Roger taking on the responsibilities of the late Marty Buttke, who died unexpectedly on August 24. Buttke had served as a commissioner since 2016.

Karen Layher, assistant to the commissioners, said, “We received 20 applications, narrowed it down to seven finalists and selected Roger.”  Roger brings to the table 12 years of experience on Milbank’s planning and zoning committee and a long term career with the electricity provider Otter Tail Power.

Roger retired from Otter Tail after 28 years of employment. For 24 years, he was based in Milbank. He also spent four years traveling Otter Tail’s three-state area to provide radio communications, data and information technology, telephone system installations and protective relaying in substations. He capped off  his electronics career by working for five years with the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) in Watertown under the US Department of Energy.

Roger’s story starts, however, with him pulling himself up by his bootstraps. He grew up on a family farm in a house with no indoor plumbing. His father was deaf and employed as a sharecropper. Roger started working on the farm when he was five years old. By age13, he was working for neighboring farmers driving a tractor, picking rock, baling hay, and milking cows .His mother had worked as a teacher in a one-room school before she was married, and Roger also attended a one-room school for eight years. He was the only person in his class. He then attended Fergus Falls high school and graduated with honors by ranking in the top 40 amongst his fellow 325 classmates. He continued his education by earning a degree in service electronics.

Roger said, “Growing up on a family farm without much and helping to care for animals taught me good work ethics and the value of a hard-earned dollar.  This taught me to be financially conservative, live within a budget, and appreciate what I have.”  

It is apparent Roger was never one to avoid work or shirk his civic duties. Along with his regular job, he carved out time to build steel grain bins; operate a crusher, a bulldozer, and payloader for road construction; drive a school bus; manage a cable TV system; complete remodeling projects; drive a truck; and rebuild several engines– including a nitrous system and super charger. He also served as president of the Lions Club and as  chairperson of Staff Parish and Missions at Central Church. 

He and his wife Mary have lived in Milbank for 37 years and raised their two daughters here. Jennifer and her husband Tim live in Milbank.  Melissa and her husband Dan live in a suburb of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They have blessed Roger and Mary with five grandchildren, who range in age from 11 to 23.

 To get to know Roger just a little bit better, we challenged him to a game of 20 questions. Here are his answers:

1. What two words describe your wife Mary? Loving and caring.

2. Phone call or text message?  Either one, or email.

3. Early bird or night owl?  Early bird.

4. Favorite color?  Blue

5. Vanilla ice cream? Or chocolate?  Licorice

6. Where did you and Mary go on your first date?  A drive-in movie.

7. What food most reminds you of your mother or your childhood?  The simple Norwegian rommegrot – a creamy milk porridge served with melted butter.

8. What important thing did your father teach you?  The responsibility of taking care of animals and doing a job until it was completed.

9. Favorite things to do during the weekend?  Traveling, camping, motorcycle riding, boating, and spending time with family and friends.

10. Favorite chore? Building and repairing.

11. Most hated chore? Working on plumbing and vehicle wiring!

12. Road trip or plane ride? A road trip, because you can see so much more of the country up close. 

13. Pet peeve?  Drivers not using their turn signal!

14. Classic Rock or Classical? Classic Rock and Country for me!

15. Is there something you’ve never done that you would like to try? Scuba diving in the ocean.

16. If you won the lottery, what would you do?  Have fun giving it away!

17. Do you own a classic car?  A 1970 Chevelle SS 454, that we have owned for 50 years.  Purchased from a dealer in 1975 for $550.

18. Best advice you ever received?  Live within your means. Don’t play “Keep up with the Jones’s.” Start saving for your future as soon as possible.

19. Best advice you gave your children? Use your God-given talents to make a career you will enjoy your whole life.  Live within your means, be kind, take your faith seriously, and help others.

20. Coffee or tea?  Milk or sugar?  Coffee, black. 

So, if you happen to run into Roger, why not have a cup of Joe and ask him what’s happening in Grant County or maybe about all  those amazing Christmas lights he puts up every year. 

Photo: Roger Hoff taking his oath of office from Grant County Auditor Kathy Folk