Saturday, December 14, 2024
Carol Hoefs is sporting a famous pair of boots after her husband Richard Hoefs pulled out all the stops to secure the pair for his bride. The truth is acquiring the boots wasn’t all smooth sailing.
Married for 35 years, Richard and Carol are retired and have lived in Granbury for seven years. Formerly of Tucker, Georgia, the two have been involved in the community since moving here.
Richard is often seen at local meetings of city and county officials and Carol volunteers at the hospital. The Hoefs are also Diamond members of Carnival Cruise line.
The Hoefs had learned about a special pair of boots from an announcement by their friend and Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald’s Facebook page.
In an email Richard Hoefs explained.
“Both Carol and I follow John’s page for the latest information from Carnival and also to enjoy John’s humour (humor). (John is British as is his humour so I have used the British spelling).”
Parker Boot Company of Houston designed two custom pairs of red, white and blue boots. The boots were designed to celebrate a new Texas-based Carnival Cruise flagship, the Carnival Jubilee.
The Jubilee had its inaugural cruise and naming ceremony in Galveston. The Hoefs attended the naming ceremony as passengers on the maiden voyage.
One pair of the custom boots was worn by Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duff at the arrival festivities of the Jubilee. After Duff wore the boots for the event they remain on permanent display onboard the ship.
A chance to win the second pair of boots was offered in a silent auction with the proceeds from the auction benefiting Operation Homefront.
Operation Homefront is an organization dedicated to providing support to military families. Its goal is to provide relief and recurring family support programs and services to help military families overcome hardships.
“The military is important to us both. Richard’s dad served in the Korean War. My one brother served in the Army for 24-and-a-half years and was a tank commander in Desert Storm. I have other relatives who have served in different branches of the military,” explained Carol Hoefs.
Carnival Cruise Line raises funds weekly for Operation Homefront through onboard programs as well as collecting funds from passengers for the cause.
Richard Hoefs found a dual purpose to bid for the boots — a chance at acquiring a truly unique pair of boots for Carol while also supporting military families.
“Carol is a wonderful, caring person who has blessed me by being my wife for 35 years. She supports and encourages me in all my endeavors.
“She has a pure servant’s heart, and volunteers with the Hospital Auxiliary at Lake Granbury Medical Center. When we learned about the auction and discussed how much we should bid, she said she would like to add these boots to her wardrobe.
“Obtaining these boots was a small gesture to thank her for all she does for me and our community,” shared Richard Hoefs.
The silent auction to win the custom boots was conducted by email with the current bid posted just once per day. Emerson Hankamer, bidding on behalf of Vacations To Go won the auction with a bid of $25k. Hoefs bid came shy of that amount.
When Richard Hoefs came in second to Hankamer’s bid, Hoefs assumed that was the end of the line for the cruise boots.
“I was surprised when Carnival Cruise Line contacted me and offered to make another set of boots if I would match the winning bid. I agreed with the condition that the auction winner agree, as he had bid on an exclusive pair of boots,” shared Richard Hoefs.
Hankamer was happy to allow the Hoefs to also acquire a custom pair of boots with the matching bid of an additional $25k going to Operation Homefront.
Carol found Richard’s generous bidding to be in harmony with his character.
“Richard has always been a hard worker. He worked for the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta for 32-and-a-half years. He is involved in committees here in Granbury and serves on the board of directors for the Granbury Volunteer Fire Department. Richard and I always talk about which charities we want to support. We are friends of Texas Christian University and have endowed six scholarships to the school in different areas.”
The Hoefs went to Houston in March for Carol’s feet to be measured for the custom boots. They returned to Houston in August for a fitting and to take the boots home. Though the process to make the custom boots took five months, Carol Hoefs says they were worth the wait.
“The boots are extremely comfortable; these are the first custom made footwear I have ever had,” said Carol Hoefs.
Carol Hoef wore her boots on the maiden voyage of the Carnival Jubilee in September and was able to let the local folks get a gander at them at a recent Rise and Grind function which is sponsored by Visit Granbury.
