William "Bill" Hopkins

William “Bill” Hopkins, 98, was eased into his eternal care and keeping on March 31, 2010. A devoted husband and father, a patriotic soldier, a faithful servant to His Lord Jesus Christ, a beloved grandfather and great-grandfather, few lives have been lived as honorably and gracefully as his. We all loved him for the family values that came before him, and for wisely passing them along to the three generations that have succeeded him. He was more than our patriarch – he is our hero.

Bill was born May 30, 1911 in Indiahoma, Okla., and was raised in Bentonville, Ark. He married Frances Allen, the love of his life, in 1934, then moved to California where he became a station superintendent for the U.S. Postal Service in Altadena.

He also served as Postmaster on the U.S.S. Munda Bay during WWII, and in retirement at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. They fully retired in 1975 and spent many happy years in Fallbrook, Calif. In 1997, they relocated to Boise, Idaho, to be near family.

They were both passionate about music, Frances as a pianist/organist, and Bill as a barbershop singer. He was a senior member of the SPEBSQSA, with 63 years of membership, singing locally with the Palomar/Pacific Chapter. Bill was also an avid nature enthusiast. He often hiked the hills of Altadena, walked the Boise River greenbelt, and together he and Frances camped throughout the west.

Bill enjoyed his retirement tending his garden and fruit trees, and volunteered with the landscape design at The Grand Tradition. He never outgrew playing in the dirt. Bill and Frances enjoyed worship and membership with the Fallbrook First Christian Church family.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Frances, in 1997. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law Steve & Ruth Hopkins of Fletcher, NC; his daughter and son-in-law Susan & Jim Jameson of Boise; four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be made to the First Christian Church or the Nature Conservancy.