Garry Alan Hoffman was born in Indianapolis on August 13, 1951. He attended John Marshall High School ad graduated in June 1969. He attended Ball State University and majored in music performance, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973. He enlisted in the US Army and was assigned to Fort Myers in Washington D.C. He played with the Army Band Herald Trumpeters from 1973 to 1979. After his service in the army, he returned to Indianapolis to pursue a career in sales. In 1994, he obtained a job with Frito Lay as a sales representative. Photography was Garry's livelihood, and he regularly freelanced at Indianapolis Raceway Park. He had numerous photographs published in the IRP magazine. He continually followed Indy car racing, attending the Indy 500 race annually since 1963.

On January 3, 1998, at 5 am, Garry was making a routine delivery to a 24 hour convenience store on the near east side of Indianapolis. Three young men were exiting the store as Garry held the door open for them. Unbeknownst to Garry the three men had robbed the store, with no disguises, and had obtained a small amount of cash from two clerks. As Garry held the door open, the last one to exit pointed a gun at him and fired. The bullet hit point blank in the middle of his chest, severing his windpipe and spinal cord. The three men fled on foot but were later arrested. A fire station across the street responded with an ambulance and took Garry to Wishard Hospital. He survived the initial surgery and was placed in critical care trauma unit. He survived in stable condition for five weeks before passing away on February 7, 1998.