Stephen Fredrick Hopkins II

Stephen Fredrick Hopkins, II, age 49 of MacArthur, passed away on October 10, 2015. Steve was born in Beckley, West Virginia, December 19, 1965 and was the son of Mary Susan Matheny and the late Stephen Fredrick Hopkins, Sr. Besides his father, he was preceded in death by his brother, Brian Hinton Hopkins, his maternal grandparents, John and Julia Cassell, his paternal grandparents, B. H. and Edith Hopkins, his stepfather, Thomas H. Matheny, and his ex-wife, Theresa Hopkins. In addition to his mother, Steve is survived by his darling daughter and only child, Stephanie Lynn Hopkins of Beckley, the light of his life; his brothers, Jeremy Bailey of Beckley, and Emil Bailey Jr., wife Assia and son Iddir, of Herndon, Virginia; nephew Steven Trail and grand nephew, John Leo Johnson. Other survivors are his aunts, Irene Cantley, Patricia Hall, Toni Hatcher, Cathy Bair and Judy Cassell; his uncle, Larry Cassell and wife, Carole and uncles in-law, John Hall, Jim Bair, and John Cantley; also many cousins and friends. Steve was the Pittsburg Steelers number on fan. He loved sports. In his early years, he was a Little League Baseball and Babe Ruth Baseball All-Star player. He attended Park Junior High, where he was quarterback and Woodrow Wilson High School where he also played football. He was a graduate of Mountain State University where he earned an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice and also a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice. Currently, he enjoyed exercising and working out at the YMCA, playing basketball, and walking several miles a day. He enjoyed growing tomatoes and cucumbers, writing poetry, songs, and critiques and also watching Channel 16 on TV. He read his BIBLE every day. He loved and trusted in God and believed in miracles. He believed that in spite of the many challenges in his life, that God prepared a place for him in Heaven, and that is where he is now. Steve believed Carlton Fisk’s rule of Life---“It’s not what you achieve, it’s what you overcome”. A Celebration of Stephen’s life will be held at 1:00 PM Saturday at Blue Ridge Funeral Home, Beckley with Ronnie Linville, officiating. Burial will follow at Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens. Friends may gather with the family from 6-8 PM Friday evening at the funeral home.