Sondra “Sonnie” Kanhofer, who spent more than 25 years as an administrative assistant, much of it at the Katz Graduate School of Business, died March 20, 2026, at 83.
“She was simply extraordinary,” recalled Frits Pil, distinguished service professor in the School of Business, who worked with Kanhofer during his years as a junior faculty member. “At a time when I was working to integrate two faculty groups in the business school, Sonnie helped me navigate the administrative landscape with wisdom and great care to ensure the new group’s success. Her insight, energy and attention to detail ensured that nothing fell through the cracks.
“More than that,” he added, “Sonnie was a joy to be around. She brought warmth and humanity, often sharing stories of her daughters, her pets and her love for music. She made Pitt Business feel kinder and more personal.”
Kanhofer began her Pitt career at the School of Education in the mid-1980s and retired in May 2012.
Dione Cahillane, now with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, worked with Kanhofer in two Katz centers, the International Business Center and the Center for International Enterprise Development, in the mid 1990s. Among the centers’ work was an exchange program with MBA faculty and students in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
“She was always so welcoming to the international faculty and the international students,” Cahillane aid. “She would be very patient with them” as she supported their work here. “She was great about explaining things to them” including “culture in Pittsburgh. There would be busy days, but she would get it done.
“She was a great colleague, the kind of person who would figure it out,” Cahillane added — particularly at that time of change, when the Internet was entering the workplace. She also remembered that Kanhofer “loved to go over to Phipps Conservatory and walk the outside gardens for her lunch break.”
Dennis Slevin, now professor emeritus in the Katz school, worked with Kanhofer for 15 years. When she first arrived, he said, “she turned out to be a real joy to work with, both an efficient and very pleasant person to have on board. I couldn't have asked to have a better secretary.” She was also extremely good at aiding students, he recalled, which he credits to her experience with her own daughters. “She came across as a soothing, pleasant person who really wants to help the student out, and that's a nice person to have in the team.”
In planning international research conferences, he said, “she was a very good project manager” as well. “And she was a good example for the rest of the secretarial staff, especially the younger secretaries.”
Sondra Kanhofer is survived by daughters Kelli Robinson (Eric) and Kristen Thomas (Gordon); grandchildren Matthew and Ashley Robinson and Morgan Thomas; siblings Kathleen (Gray) Gilliland (Herbert II), and Kenneth Gray (late Margaret); as well as nephews, cousins and extended family.
A celebration of life is planned for a later date. Memorial gifts are suggested to the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh or the Parkinson's Foundation.
— Marty Levine