His maternal grandmother Tucker told him that when she was a girl in the Montana Territory, they had to leave the farm and get to safety at the fort. They needed protection from the Native Americans who they feared would attack after the Battle of Little Big Horn. 

In conclusion, our father found humor in being irreverent. He felt lucky, "Plain lucky" to quote his self written obituary. My Dad taught me to leave places better than I found them. As I walk through this world I shall do my best to leave it better than I found it. Lucky, indeed, for all.

Another gift was all of our family travels. We'd camp at the coast, mountains or Crater Lake. We traveled to Vancouver Island, Alaska by ferry, Seattle to Skagway. Our biggest family trip was camping across the US, visiting DC, NYC, and of course, Gettysburg, a huge place of interest of our fathers'. We also saw Boston, Plymouth, and got to Portland, Maine.  Additionally we visited Montreal and Niagara Falls.

Our Dad loved cars, boats and planes, he owned a multitude of them. At one point he had a model T with a rumble seat. Currently there's a Corvette in his Arizona garage.

Hunting and fishing with his friends was a huge enjoyment for our father. Sadly, most of these men have preceded him in death. Many great stories came from these adventures.

Additionally, our Dad was an Elk for 55 years. He was even an officer, if you can believe it, the Chaplain. He also enjoyed photography, tennis, hiking and pets.

Luckily, in 1988, Carol Cooper and our Dad married in Death Valley in the Mojave Desert, California, at the lowest point in North America, "since they could only go up from there."  Tragically, she died in an auto accident at the Patrick AFB, Florida, in 2004.  This happened after many wonderful travel and cruises nationally and internationally and they became "snow birds" in Arizona. Carol's son, Norman, said these were the happiest years of his mother's life. She was also quite happy to become a grandmother, when my son Alan was born in 1995.

Luckily in 2007, Sherry Anderson Sanders of St. Helens married our father. They were married for 16 years and 1 month. They bought a home in Fort Mojave, Arizona. Sherry told me that my Dad would often purchase food or a meal for someone less fortunate. 

When my Dad met his paternal grandfather in the East, he asked him very gruffly, who he was. As a 5 year old he was not sure of how to answer. Hitting the floor with his cane, he shouted, "You're Welsh!, You're Welsh boy!"

His maternal grandmother Tucker told him that

Our Dad wrote his own obituary once and titled it "Just Lucky!"  Stanley Edward Hopkins was born in Albany, Oregon to Marcus Aurelius and Rose Tucker Hopkins, on October 20, 1932, on a Thursday.  One of the things he felt lucky about was growing up in a small town and able to work through his school years at a grocery store. He was the youngest of four kids, two older sisters, Helen Rose and Betty, and one older brother, Howard.  

He told me about growing up near the airport and being very interested in planes. He got his pilots license and owned several planes. Our Dad took me and my sister Barbara flying over the Scappoose airport. Once he even flew me back to college.

Stan entered the military in 1952, during the Korean War. He was a graduate of Washington Military Academy and rose from Private to Lieutenant Colonel in his 35 years with the Army Reserves, retiring in 1987. Our Dad was a marksman and a part of the 6th Army Rifle Team. Not only did he train young army recruits to shoot rifles, he was so good they had him training Marines and National Guard recruits as well.

Later our father worked as a claims representative for United Pacific Reliance Insurance. Then he moved up to claims manager and retired at 65, as a Horace Mann, Superintendent of Claims.

In 1955 he married a classmate from Oakridge High School. Our Dad was married to Evelyn Neal Hopkins for 28 years. They had two daughters, myself, Virginia Gay, in 1957, and Barbara Elaine in 1959.

Living in Scappoose, Oregon, our father took great delight in celebrating Halloween. He loved scaring everyone. He was a gorilla, witch, and even rigged up a lighted ghost which hung over a branch in a huge Douglas For over our driveway. Our Dad also loved to ski and taught me and my sister how to snow plow. Soon I was doing a stem Christy and then I was paralleling down the slopes of Mt. Hood. That was a huge gift from my father.

So many friends and relatives sent Birthday Greetings. His niece Teresa Hopkins Shine and her husband John Shine hosted us in their home in Lakeview.  My dad was trying to make arrangements to buy a summer RV spot for a park model.  Zoning never did get done for the sale to go through.  My step mother will be a. Arizona resident soon.

We had family photos taken before  Gay left to teach on Colombia South America. Mom made an appointment before Mark's wedding.  They miss read the time and we got to Vernonia after the wedding but in time for the reception.

Dad was born in Albany Oregon,  lived near his grandparents and close to the Albany Airport.  He loved planes as a child and got his pilot license. His first wife Evelyn's summer check bought their first plane that was garaged in a hanger at the Scappoose airport.  They didn't even have furniture at the time.  I can remember dad taking us to the Airport getting real glass pop bottles out of the machine for either a dime or a quarter.  He would drive us around in his convertible on the runway spinning around in circles.  He had different planes or shares of planes and even a business HOOD VIEW LTD, Out of Sandy , OR  with a partner Jack Rowland, I'm not quite sure what kind of business, but listed State Wide Service on the business card.  Who knows maybe they were a joke cards, he did like to kid a lot. Or maybe he did free lance insurance adjusting claims state wide.  
I remember flying over Scappoose seeing where our house was, we had 5 huge fir trees on the lot so you didn't really see the house. I flew with him to the Hillsboro airport for lunch one Saturday and another time to Independence when my sister Gay was a freshman at OCE in Monmouth.

Dad  would have Fourth of July parties. Always served hotdogs. Their home had great view of St Helens fireworks and in the distance you could see Portland and Vancouver fireworks. In December if they were in Columbia City he would host a party to watch the Christmas Ships that came down from Portland on the Willamette River.

Sherry loved my dad very much and put up with his set ways.  He had many dogs and cats during his lifetime.  If he saw dumped cats or dogs at the waterfront on the way to work, He would look for them on his drive home. If they were still there he would bring them home.  Samantha (Sam) showed up on the doorstep. My mom made my sister go door to door to try an locate an owner in St Helens. Many years later my dad admitted to picking her up in Portland, while mom and us girls were visiting cousins.  He almost always got stray pets from the pound. The exception was Lady Freckles a springer spaniel was registered, supposed to be a great bird dog. He bred her and had one litter of puppies. He kept Ashely named for Mt ST Helens the most precocious puppy. When she was very young follow her mom down to the Marina and had to be rescued from the Columbia River, 
Dad always had a soft spot for animals. It hit him extremely hard when their last cat Mao Mao died and didn’t want to go through the hardship of loosing another pet. I hope all of them that passed over the rainbow bridge are their to great him.

I grew up in Scappoose going up to grade 6 before moving to St. Helens. My mom Evelyn we’re married for 28 years.  In grade school we had birthday parties at Farrells Ice Cream Parlor in Portland. We always ordered the “Portland Zoo” with like 20 scoops of ice cream  and plastic zoo animals. They had yard long licorice and old fashioned candy.  They would make a production of banging a drum and blowing a  siren.  Many times dad would take me to appointments in  Portland where he worked as a claims Adjuster. At the bottom of Pill Hill there was the Carousel restaurant, that had cinnamon bear cookies and hot dogs. With an outside Koi pond too.  We always got some special treat either there or in Linnton at the Ice Cream Cafe. 
He always donated to Smile Train  because I was born with a cleft lip and palate.

His niece Teresa Shine and husband John Shine were so hospitable host my sister Gay and I at there home in Lakeview and fixed a lovely 90th birthday lunch for her Uncle Stanley.  He was a snowbird the spent the winter in Az  with his third wife Sherry and spring and summers In Oregon.

Celebrating his 90th Birthday in Lakeview, OR,
Stan Hopkins and Sherry Hopkins were married 16 years. There will be a celebration of life in Fort Mohave later in March.  He will be buried in Willamette National Cemetery, in Happy Valley OR on February 20, 2024 at 11 am.
On 2/22/24 there will be a Celebration of life at the Elks Club #1999 in St Helens, OR between 1-3 pm. 
In lieu of flower donation may be made to Smile Train, USO, or DVA

Always the cut-up, at his 90th birthday celebration at his niece’s and her husband’s house near Lakeview, Oregon..,

…Stan waiting for breakfast at the Laughlin River Ranch, Bullhead City, Arizona…

Picture-taking before Barbara and Gay leave to go back to Oregon…

…Stan with his daughters, Gay and Barbara, at the 89th birthday celebration…

…89th birthday celebration at our house in Fort Mohave, Arizona…

I'm a gym friend of Sherry's, and only knew Stan to say Hi, as he was passing by headed to exercise class at Mad Dogs. Sherry would tell me stories from the past, or how she and Stan met, or how they were making a trip to Los Algodones, Mexico. And now that they moved to AZ, Stan wanted to spend summers in Oregon and do some fishing and hunting. I knew his age, and admired how alert and active he was staying. Sherry is a good caring person, so I'm pretty sure Stan was a good guy, and they made a good couple.

He served in the Armour Division of Army Reserves He left school and signed up during the Korean Conflict  1952 to 1954, served in the Reserves until his retirement in 1986. And his rank was Lieutenant Colonel at retirement.   He was a marksman and was on the Sixth Army Rifle Team. I was in Jr High when I went with him to a match in Coolinga California.  He earned many awards and trophies for his marksmanship.
He loved hunting,  fishing,  flying private aircraft, boating  and camping. 
I worked with him for a year at Horace Mann Insurance where he was a Claims Manager at the Portland OR Office.

OBITUARY

Stanley Edward Hopkins

October 20, 1932 – January 31, 2024

Dimond & Sons Silver Bell Chapel

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