Edward Darrell Hopkins, Jr.

A memorial service for Edward Darrell “Bud” Hopkins, Jr., M.D., who passed away on Monday, September 16, 2024, will be held at 1:30 Sunday, September 22, 2024, at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral following a private burial at the Hopkins family cemetery, 1201 Back Swamp Road, Hopkins, SC. The family will receive friends at the home following the service. Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, is assisting the family.

Born February 5, 1930, in Boise, Idaho, Bud was the son of Edward Darrell Hopkins and Hazel Charlotte Kimes. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his wife, Leila Elliott Manning Hopkins; son, Edward Darrell Hopkins, III; and sisters, Barbara Hopkins Kirkpatrick (Burl) and Virginia Hopkins Hall (George).

Upon graduation from Boise High School in 1948, Bud received gracious support and encouragement from his uncles, Dr. Theodore Hopkins and James Hopkins, to return to his South Carolina roots and continue his education at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. He more than honored his uncles’ commitment by being named a Distinguished Military Student; becoming a member of both the Junior Sword Drill and the Summerall Guards; and, prior to his graduation in 1952, serving as Alpha Company Commander of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets.

Bud’s same uncles then further mentored him as he pursued a career in medicine by enrolling at the Medical College of South Carolina in Charleston. Upon graduation in 1956, he completed his internship at William Beaumont Army Hospital in El Paso, Texas and then served two years as a United States Army Captain in Germany. He then completed his medical residency at Tulane University in New Orleans. Ironically, as fate would have it, it was here that he was introduced to his future wife, Leila Manning, a young lady from Columbia, SC, who happened to be visiting with her parents.

Dr. Hopkins returned to Columbia in 1962 and married Leila and began his practice of eye surgery with Dr. Shepard Dunn. As the demand for eye care increased, their practice flourished. Bud was so proud that The Columbia Eye Clinic now cares for so many people in South Carolina. In 2009, Dr. Hopkins was inducted into The Society of St. Luke at Providence Hospital in recognition of his “distinguished service to patients, the mission of the hospitals, and the communities they serve.”

Bud and Leila loved to entertain family and friends. When their children were young, “Dr. Bud,” as he was affectionately called, could be found teaching them and their friends how to drive a car or how to water ski or treating everyone to ice cream. He loved hosting oyster roasts, Christmas parties, and cookouts and was always planning something fun. Bud also enjoyed playing tennis with his buddies and traveling with family and friends. He and Leila traveled extensively throughout Europe and particularly enjoyed their salmon fishing trips to Alaska.

Staying active in retirement, Bud could expertly handle a shotgun in a dove field or a chainsaw in the woods, and he could sit in a deer stand for hours at total peace. However, his favorite activity was the annual garden he planted with the help of his devoted friends. Many a back porch throughout Columbia would be adorned by baskets of the fruits of their labors, and an occasional corn boil always brought crowds to his farm in Hopkins. Bud believed that his greatest blessings were the people in his life, and he touched the lives of many.

Dr. Hopkins was a member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and a Life Member of the Citadel Alumni Association. He was also a member of Forest Lake Club, The Pine Tree Hunt Club, The Town Club, The Cotillion, The Centurion Society, The Columbia Ball, and The Quadrille Ball.

He is survived by his daughters Anne Kissam (Keller), Elizabeth Walker (Andy), and Leila Boyd (Reese). He is also survived by his grandchildren: William Keller Kissam, Jr. (Brooks), Anne Elliott Kissam (fiancé Henry Baird), Virginia “Ginny” Hopkins Walker, Andrew Graham Walker, Jr. (fiancé Elizabeth Riley), Margaret Sams Walker, Leila Manning Boyd, and Reese Rodman Boyd, IV. He is also survived by his nephew, John Hopkins Kirkpatrick (Carrie) of Boise, Idaho.

Memorials may be made to Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 1100 Sumter Street, Columbia, SC 29206 or Camp Cole, 1571 Crossing Creek Road, Eastover, SC 29044.

The inscription accompanying Dr. Hopkins’ induction into the Society of St. Luke provides the truest insight into his life well lived – “An outstanding physician, a sincere devotion to patients and to family, a true gentleman in every sense of the word.”