Jeff Hopkins

 

Jeff Hopkins

April 29, 1956 – December 11, 2015

 

Jeff Hopkins, a greatly loved brother, son, uncle and friend, peacefully passed away in his sleep on December 10 after a bravely battling colon cancer throughout the year. He was 59.

Born in McAlester, Oklahoma in 1956, Jeff grew up with his parents and younger brother Tim. He attended McAlester schools, played football and proved to the ornery one of the bunch – a trait he kept up throughout his life.

Always tech savvy and great with his hands, after high school, Jeff attended several colleges, including the Hank Williams Guitar School in Claremore, Oklahoma, where he was able to hone his appreciation for great music.

Jeff was perhaps the biggest Grateful Dead fan you’d ever meet; there’s no doubt he’s kicking back with Jerry Garcia at this exact moment. From T-shirts and bumper stickers to magazines and box sets, he had all the memorabilia and then some. One of his favorite memories was seeing the Dead rock the stage at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in 1973.

He also loved motorcycles and owned a Kawasaki Voyager XII — he and his good friend Rick were known to ride throughout the deserts of the southwest United States, particularly in New Mexico.

Jeff met another motorcycle aficionado, Patty Armer, about 20 years ago. Mutual friends of Bill W.’s, the two have been together ever since. They lived in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, for the majority of those years with their dogs, Sam and Rocky. Recently, they moved to Guthrie, Oklahoma, with their cat, Fanny.

There was only one person in the world for which Fanny would damper her hissing and surly attitude. Fanny and Jeff were buddies from day one and, in his final weeks, she stayed perched at the top of his bed, daring innocent visitors to see what would happen if they got too close.

Jeff is survived by his brother, Tim, and his wife Angie; his niece Emily; and his partner, Patty, who is planning a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, this spring to scatter Jeff’s ashes in one of his favorite places in the world.

In lieu of flowers, it was Jeff’s wish for donations to be made to the Ostomy Association of Oklahoma City’s Ostomy Closet, a place where people in need can get temporary help with supplies.

To make a cash donation to the closest, please send your contributions to:

George Cabaniss, 1801 NW 36^th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73118

A memorial service will be held on Saturday December 19, 2015 at Matthews Funeral Home Chapel at 2:00 p.m.