Obituary

Carol Louene (Sneed) Hofstetter, age 86, of Grain Valley, Missouri, passed away on February 26, 2026.

She was born on May 12, 1939, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Milton Cave Sneed and Irene Josephine (West) Sneed.

Carol graduated from Southwest High School in 1957 and went to work as secretary to J.C. Nichols. She married Delbert Hofstetter of Fortuna, Missouri, on June 6, 1958, and they made their home in Kansas City. In 1963, Carol retired from J.C. Nichols, and she and Del moved to Lee’s Summit to begin their family.

In the years that followed, Carol embraced many roles in addition to “Mom”—and found unfettered joy in being “Grandma” and “Gi-Gi.” She was a member and past president of the Jaycee Wives, a Boy Scout and Girl Scout leader, and Westview Elementary’s fearsome (and unforgettable) lunch monitor. She was a blue-ribbon winner at numerous county and state fairs for her embroidery, served as office manager for Deatonian Dance & Twirl Academy (eventually purchasing the studio), and later worked as bookkeeper for Doris V. Irons Accounting & Tax Service (later Accounting & Tax Solutions) from which she retired.

She is survived by her children: Cristina (Jeff) Kula of Lincoln, Nebraska; Timothy (Mary) Hofstetter of Pleasant Hill, Missouri; and Cathy (Joe) Karnes of Sahuarita, Arizona.

She is also survived by her grandchildren: Corrie Winters (Jacob) Blume of Grain Valley, Missouri; Justin (Savannah) Hofstetter of Parker, Kansas; Evan (Alyssa) Kula of Austin, Texas; Cherilyn Karnes of Liberty, Missouri; Gabriel Karnes of Kansas City, Missouri; and Charlotte Karnes of Sahuarita, Arizona.

Her great-grandchildren include Jemma Winters; Jackson and Betty Jo Blume of Grain Valley, Missouri; Mason and Miles Hofstetter of Parker, Kansas; and Aubrieana Moser of Mesa, Arizona.

She is also survived by her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Mitchel and Janet Hofstetter of Jefferson City, Missouri.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Milton and Irene Sneed; her brothers, Robert Sneed and James Sneed; and her beloved husband, Delbert Hofstetter.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Langsford Funeral Home, followed by funeral service at 11:00 a.m., Pastor Jeremy Lundergan officiating, with burial at Lone Jack Cemetery.