John Franklin Hope Jr.

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend, John Franklin Hope, Jr, 65, of Keene New Hampshire passed away on Monday, July 6, 2020 from injuries sustained in a tractor trailer roll-over while returning with a load from Wentworth, New Hampshire. An immediate outpouring of love from family, friends, and co-workers paints a clear picture of John's impact on those around him. A professional tractor trailer driver for over 40 years, he proudly served the local and greater community. John was a hard-working, genuine individual, who would lend a hand whenever possible. He cherished spending time with family and friends and will be greatly missed by all who knew his generous and loving nature. He will affectionately be remembered for having a sense of humor and love of lasagna like Garfield, his favorite comic character.

John was born on June 8, 1955 to Juliet C. (Bleau) & John F. Hope, Sr. in Keene, New Hampshire. He grew up locally and graduated from Keene High School. John’s first jobs were working for H & W Tire (now Tire Warehouse), the City of Keene Highway and Water Works Divisions and Cersosimo, before following his ambition to be a professional Tractor Trailer Driver like his father and 3 of his siblings. He drove for Manchester Central in Weare, NH, Ward Trucking in Ashfield, MA and Idlenot Dairy in Keene. He then joined his two oldest brothers driving for Wetterau/Supervalu for 15 years until the Keene Division closed.

Supervalu’s closing created an opportunity for John to follow the dream of owning his own “Big Rig”. He accomplished that dream and went into business as JF Hope Transport, LLC for the next 14 years. He was leased to A. Duie Pyle of PA, Quality Carriers of MA & VT and GMH Transport of VT during that time hauling reefers, box trailers or tankers. Although it was very hard work he was proud to be an Owner Operator. Even though a day never went by without calling home, John eventually decided to shut down his business to be closer to family. He returned to the workforce driving for Cersosimo Lumber in 2015, where he remained employed until his passing.

Driving truck provided John ample opportunity to nurture his passion for observing wildlife. He found great enjoyment seeing other parts of the country as he travelled the Northeast and Eastern Seaboard. John delighted in sharing stories and photographs of moose and numerous other animals he encountered. He had a deep respect for all living things, and frequently advocated to protect the environment.

John’s hobbies included building exact replicas of other people’s tractor trailers, often giving them as gifts. He restored his own 52 Chevy pickup from the frame up with the help of his brother Ron and his friend Mooney. He never ceased to amaze with his extensive knowledge of history, music, movies, and especially all things transportation. He enjoyed going to antique truck shows, riding his Harley, having coffee with his friends and reminiscing about the 50+ years of mischief with his best buddy Denis. Most important to him was time spent with the people he loved and his beloved pets (especially his boxer Gracie and rescue lab Rebel).

John married his high school sweetheart, Dawn (Fitzroy) Hope on March 2, 1974. They were married over 46 years and enjoyed many adventures together. Besides his wife, John is survived by their daughters Melanie R. Hope of Keene and Sarah M. McLaughlin (and Patrick) of Alstead. He was blessed with 5 grandchildren, Zoë E. Hope and Noah, Gabriella, Juliana and Isaiah Maragh and 2 step-granddaughters, Kiera and Molly McLaughlin.

In addition he leaves behind his siblings, David (and Barbara) Hope, William (and Brenda) Hope, Sr., Ronald (and Juanita) Hope, Sharon (and Norman) Roussell and Daniel Hope who all live locally, his brother-in-law Robert Fitzroy, sister-in-laws Cynthia (Cinni) Donovan and Brenda (and Nelson) Lanoue all of Massachusetts, several aunts, many cousins, nieces, nephews and other extended family.

John was predeceased by his parents, his in-laws Ruth M. (McHaffie) & Herbert H. Fitzroy, sister-in-law Doris Hope, brother-in-law Ivan Donovan, niece Andrea (Hope) Turner, nephew Christopher Hope and aunts, uncles and cousins. John also was predeceased by twin daughters Stephanie and Nicole who were born prematurely.

A celebration of life will be held at Whitcomb Hall, 17 Main Street, Swanzey, NH, on Saturday, May 7, 2022 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers John would wish any donations be made in his honor to The National Wildlife Federation (www.NWF.org), ASPCA (www.ASPCA.org), Monadnock Humane Society, 101 W. Swanzey Road, Swanzey, NH 03446 (www.MonadnockHumaneSociety.org) or other charity of your choice.