Grace M. Hofreiter

Grace M. Hofreiter of Moline, IL passed away peacefully on November 4, 2026, at the age of 107.

Funeral services will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday November 10, 2026, at Esterdahl Mortuary & Crematory, Ltd., Moline. Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the funeral home. Private burial will be at Moline Memorial Park. Memorials may me made to St. Paul Lutheran Church, Orion, IL.

She was born on July 12, 1919, in Lynn Center, IL to Gilbert and Hazel Johnson. She was one of ten children, the third oldest. She was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Orion, IL and served on many committees over her lifetime.

Grace attended a one room schoolhouse and after graduating from Orion High School, Grace went on to work at the Rock Island Arsenal. She met her husband, George Hofreiter there. They were married on December 31, 1940. In 1945, George went to Los Alamos, NM to work on the Manhattan Project, which brought an end to WWII. Grace joined him there and worked as a secretary for several years. George passed away in 1971, and Grace continued to live in Los Alamos until in the 1980s when she moved back to Orion. She was engaged to Robert (Bob) Bier of Hillsdale, IL for many years. He also preceded her in death in 2016.

Grace lived an exciting life through many memorable historic events. She greatly enjoyed fishing, camping, traveling and especially dancing at the Col Ballroom with Bob, where they met, and going out to eat.

To honor her memory, Grace leaves behind a sister, Dorothy Swanson, and a brother, Paul Johnson, many nieces and nephews as well as great and great-great nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, seven siblings and their spouses, husband George and fiancé Bob.

The family would like to thank the compassionate and sympathetic care provided to Grace in her later years to Charter Senior Living in Moline, IL as well as the Compassus Hospice team.

Memories may be shared at esterdahl.com.