Uhland "Ed" Hofmann, a genial bar owner who was known for his trademark cigar and love of a good story, died Tuesday of kidney failure at North Arundel Hospital. The Glen Burnie resident was 73.
He retired in 1980 as owner of the Clark Street Garage, a lounge in the 2400 block of St. Paul St. The establishment was named for the Chicago garage on North Clark Street where seven gangsters were gunned down by Al Capone's henchmen in 1929.
The bar was also known for its hamburger specialty called the Hofberger, which according to family members was made with secret ingredients.
"He took the secret to the grave with him," said his wife of 53 years, the former Betty Grempler.
"He was the perfect bartender type," said Howard L. Cardin, a Baltimore lawyer and longtime friend. "He loved to tell and hear stories. He was a rather heavy individual who was jovial and happy-go-lucky. A big Santa Claus of a guy."
Mr. Cardin said the bar's decor went with its name. "It was decorated with pictures of 1920s gangsters and had a Roaring '20s feel to it," he said.
"It was his personality," said his wife. "There wasn't anyone who didn't like him. He had a million friends. All of the pols liked going into his places, and a lot of his customers were straight out of Damon Runyon."
The son of a bar owner -- his father ran Otts Hofmann's on !B Washington Boulevard -- Mr. Hofmann was born on Hamburg Street in South Baltimore.
He moved as a youth to the Pimlico section, where he attended city schools and, his wife noted, the racetrack, where he picked up a taste for cigars as well as learning the betting trade.
Mr. Hofmann served in the merchant marine aboard Liberty ships in the North Atlantic during World War II.
Over the years, he operated the Greenway Lounge on Crain Highway in Glen Burnie and the Golden Glow on Eutaw Street across from the Hippodrome Theater, where he met and courted his wife.
"I was a dancer in the Stardust Revue and the Baltimore Follies of 1940 at the Hippodrome, and he met me every night after the show with flowers," Mrs. Hofmann said. "He was a real Stage Door Johnny. When we married, I was 16."
Of the cigars, his wife said, "I never saw him without one.
"Another passion of his was custom-made clothes," she said. "He was a heavy, short man who always wore brown and liked wide-brimmed hats.
"His hobby was his bars. That's what he liked doing best, being around people."
A memorial Mass will be offered at 1 p.m. Nov. 26 at St. Jerome Roman Catholic Church, 775 W. Hamburg St.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by four sons, Mark Hofmann of Glen Burnie and Edward Hofmann, Otto Hofmann and Michael Hofmann, all of Titusville, Fla.; a daughter, Sue Hollingsworth of Severna Park; and 10 grandchildren.
L Memorial contributions may be made to the Kidney Foundation.