H and H Coffee

Dedicated to the history of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co. founded 1899 in San Antonio, Texas.

Newspaper portrait of Miss Helen Hoffmann — close-cropped head-and-shoulders, dark hair, smiling, taken from a period newspaper photo

Miss Helen B. Hoffmann (c. 1911–12 – 17 January 1945). Daughter of William R. Hoffmann (founder of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company, died January 1912) and Minnie Menger Hoffmann (later Mrs. William J. Schlosser). Native of San Antonio. Namesake of Texas Girl Coffee, the brand launched by Hoffmann-Hayman in 1933.

Vitals

  • Birth: c. 1911–1912, San Antonio (born after her parents’ June 1909 marriage; her father died January 10, 1912 — the 1912 death notices reference an “infant daughter”)
  • Death: Wednesday, 17 January 1945, at the family residence, 126 W. Agarita St., San Antonio. Age 33.
  • Funeral: Thursday, 19 January 1945, St. Mary’s Church, with requiem mass by Rev. John Quinlivan. Arranged by Zizik-Kearns Funeral Home.
  • Education: Incarnate Word College (San Antonio)
  • Address: 126 West Agarita Ave. / St. (confirmed 1927, 1933, 1934, 1937, and 1945)
  • Portrait: Photograph published with the 19 Jan 1945 obituary in the Express-News — the only known photograph of Helen; cropped portrait at assets/images/gallery/miss-helen-hoffmann.jpg, full obituary page at assets/images/gallery/1945-01-19-san-antonio-express-news-helen-hoffmann-rites-held-page-01.jpg

As Texas Girl namesake

The September 1937 The News column (1937-09-10-texas-girl-namesake-helen-hoffmann) identifies her by name as the Texas Girl Coffee namesake: “Miss Helen Hoffmann, 126 W. Agarita, daughter of the late Wm. R. Hoffmann Sr.” She was approximately 25–26 at the time, living at the same family address. Texas Girl Coffee launched in 1933 when she was about 21.

Social record

  • January 1927: Listed among guests at the Gibbon’s Literary Club annual Christmas luncheon, Casa Regina, Oakland Street — the earliest known social clip; she was approximately 15–16. (Express-News, 2 Jan 1927)
  • May 1931: Phi Zeta Chi sorority announces her pledging, along with nine other women. Chaperones for the associated dance include Mr. and Mrs. E. R. Menger. (San Antonio Light, 26 May 1931)
  • September 1932: Full member of Phi Zeta Chi — listed at the Plaza Hotel farewell luncheon alongside Helen Menger. (Express-News, 12 Sep 1932)
  • May 1933: Hosts a tea from 5–8 p.m. at 126 West Agarita for June graduates, including her cousin Antoinette Menger (daughter of G. P. Menger), and Mrs. Harold Galle. (Express-News, 13 May 1933)
  • October 1934: Phi Zeta Chi sorority holds a social meeting at her home, 126 West Agarita Ave. (San Antonio Light, 7 Oct 1934)
  • February 1942: Serves at a bridal tea hosted by Josephine Hennessy (who was an honoree at Helen’s own 1933 tea) — nine-year friendship documented. She was approximately 30 years old. (Express-News, 11 Feb 1942)

Family

  • Father: William R. Hoffmann (founder of Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co., died Jan 10, 1912) — she likely never knew him, having been born shortly before or after his death
  • Mother: Minnie Menger Hoffmann, later Mrs. William J. Schlosser (remarried c. 1919)
  • Stepfather: Dr. William J. Schlosser (identified as “parents, Dr. and Mrs. William J. Schlosser” in the death notice)
  • Brother: William R. Hoffmann Jr. — infant brother, born December 1910, died January 1911, before Helen’s own birth
  • Half-sister: Mildred (listed as “Miss Mildred Schlosser” / “sister Mildred” in the obituaries — took the Schlosser name)
  • Grandmother: Mrs. C. B. Menger (paternal grandmother of Minnie; matriarch of the Menger family)
  • Pallbearers: six Menger uncles — Ed, August, Gus, Louis, Rudolph, and Ted Menger (brothers of her mother Minnie)

Father–daughter age-33 parallel

Helen died 17 January 1945, aged 33. Her father William R. Hoffmann Sr. died 10 January 1912, also aged 33, after a “brief illness.” The deaths fall 33 years and 7 days apart in the same week of January, at the same age, with the immediate Hoffmann line also losing an infant son (William R. Hoffmann Jr.) in early January 1911 — three deaths in the same family across three Januarys: 1911, 1912, 1945. Helen’s cause of death is not yet documented; whether a hereditary condition links the two age-33 deaths is an open research angle.

Open questions

  • Precise birth date (probable 1911 or early 1912; parish records or Texas vital records would confirm)
  • Cause of death — the 1945 obituary records the date, address, and funeral arrangements but the cause has not yet been surfaced. Resolving this is the key prerequisite to evaluating the father-daughter age-33 parallel (see above) as coincidence vs. hereditary.
    • Oral-history lead — rat bite / rabies (Nancy Draves, oral, June 2026): Nancy told Brett that a rat ran over Helen’s foot and bit her. A rat bite leading to rabies is a medically plausible 1940s death pathway — rabies was incurable before post-exposure prophylaxis became reliable, and a January 1945 death following a bite could fit the timeline. This is the most recent and specific family-lore account of the cause. Treat as a research lead pointing toward a Bexar County 1945 death certificate for confirmation.
    • Earlier oral-history lead — garage / motor (Nancy Draves, 28 May 2026 listening session — paraphrased, fragmentary): Nancy also mentioned Helen “went in the garage” and “ran her [motor]” — a phrasing consistent with carbon-monoxide death. This may be a separate incident, a misremembering, or the garage context may be where the rat encounter occurred. The two leads are not necessarily contradictory. Recording: raw-archives/oral-history/2026-05-28_nancy-tim-draves-listening-session.transcript.turns.md (~02:28 timestamp range). Digest: 2026-05-28-nancy-tim-draves-listening-session.
    • Resolution path: Bexar County 1945 death certificate. If rabies confirmed, the father-daughter age-33 parallel is coincidence (Hoffmann Sr. died of “brief illness,” not the same mechanism). If confirmed natural-cause / illness, the hereditary thread reopens.
  • Whether she had any formal role at Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company beyond being the brand namesake
  • The circumstances behind the brand name choice in 1933 — was she consulted, or was it a tribute by G. P. Menger and the company?

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