Patty Hooppaw Bellinger

Born in Pulaski, IL to Lorene and David Hooppaw, Pat felt a calling at the age of nine to spend her life as a missionary. Her faithful response to that calling took her to a BS from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, a diploma in Nursing from Mather School of Nursing in New Orleans, and a young seminarian by the name of Robert whom she married the day after she graduated from nursing school.

Pat and Robert moved to Southern California and were activity involved in church planting in the area, while working as a nurse and accountant respectively. A trip to Mission’s Week in Glorieta, NM found the two of them responding to a call to become missionaries. An opportunity arose in Liberia, West Africa, and within a short time embarked on a six-week journey across the Atlantic, with their three young children in tow.

Pat spent her early years as a school and village nurse at Ricks Institute, serving as the only medical staff for miles. Her creativity, expansive curiosity and voracious reading kept Pat more than able to respond to the changing needs and opportunities for service during their 30 years in Liberia, where she taught high school and seminary students, established a publishing house for church literature, and worked with young adults in producing a TV series.

The early years of the war in Liberia found Pat and Robert moving to neighboring Cote d’Ivoire where she continued her publication work and support for Liberian refugees fleeing the fighting. Years after leaving Liberia, her heart yearned to return to the land she loved dearly. In 2007 she returned to bury Robert’s ashes. She will return one more time to be buried beside him in Liberia.

Retirement to Louisville brought Pat new opportunities at Walnut Street Baptist Church and later Lyndon Baptist Church, developing a new prayer ministry, supporting WMU groups, and serving as an ordained deacon.

Pat was motivated by a deep sense of God’s call in her life, which produced a courage, grace, and wit that sustained her in good times and bad. She never worried about what others thought of her, and challenged all she knew to be true to their sense of God’s calling in their lives. Her life has left a lasting impression on all she encountered.

Pat is pre-deceased by her parents, husband, brother Bill Hooppaw, son-in-law Chris Hammon, and grandson Rob Hammon. She is survived by her children James (Eva), Annie Hammon, and Ruth Holladay (Jim), five grandchildren (Charles, Nancy, Sandra, Karen, and Luke), and three great-grandchildren.

Our deepest gratitude goes out to the staff at Sunrise Senior Living who lovingly cared for Pat during the last few years, and with great appreciation to her team from Hosparus.

Memorial gifts can be made to the Baptist World Alliance.

A celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, July 3 at Lyndon Baptist Church, with visitation at 9:30 and the service at 11:00.