 | EdwinBHopson
SFC EDWIN B HOPSON
US ARMY, RETIRED
June 01, 1929 — May 23, 2005
Daddy died in his home in San Antonio, TX. He is preceded in death by his parents Harold B Hopson and Ada Bell Hopson (neé Brown), brother Leonard B Hopson, sister Leona Mae Reuse, and grand-daughter, Felicia Amber Garcia. He is survived by his beloved wife, Sun T. (Kim) Hopson; daughters Cherie Lynn Rhoad, Cathy Lynn Hopson, Candy Lynn Hoesen, Cindy Lynn Frazier and Christy Lynn Caskey; and his seven grandchildren, Zachariah E McClurg, Melissa, Pamela and Barbara Hoesen, Brittany Black and Cody and Lacy Caskey.
He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio during the worst days of the Great Depression. Movies were his main source of entertainment as a child and he spent most of his Saturday afternoons at the nickel matinee watching Gene Autry and Tex Ritter save the day in the wild, wild, west. Because he loved his cowboy serials, he also developed a love for horses that he passed along to his daughters. His uncle owned an American Trotting horse and his parents loved to tell the story of the day he pushed the horse into a dead gallop - ruining it as a trotting horse. He also had a habit of putting all of the chickens in his aunt’s yard to sleep..
Daddy came by his wanderlust early in life. At 14, he ran away from home and headed west to become a cowboy. He was apprehended a few days later in Pennsylvania. His Mother knew she could not keep her youngest child home and gave him permission to join the Merchant Marines working on Lake Erie. A year later, when he was just short of his 18th birthday, she signed the paperwork allowing him to enlist in the US. Army.
In his thirty-year Army career, Daddy served in France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Okinawa and Viet Nam along with various duty stations in the United States. He was fond of recounting all of the places he had been able to see throughout the world courtesy of the US Army. The highlight of his Army career was his time in Asia and his acquaintance with the Asian people in those overseas postings. However his active duty time was not all travel and sightseeing. He served his country well and at some point in his military career, earned a Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
He got his first television when the family returned from France in 1959 and spent every evening parked in front of it watching his favorite shows - Bonanza - Ed Sullivan - I Love Lucy - the Wonderful World of Disney - game shows and nature programming - the list goes on. In 1962, while stationed in New York City, Daddy was a winning contestant on television game show, “The Price is Right.” He loved to tell people that he had been on TV - and been a winner. We are comforted in knowing that he is resting comfortably in his recliner, with a remote control in his hand, watching his beloved television Game Shows and sharing stories of his many travels with all who will listen.
WRITTEN BY CHERIE L. RHOAD WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM CATHY L. HOPSON, CANDY L. HOESEN AND CINDY L. FRAZIER |
Date(s): June 5, 2005. Album by Cherie Rhoad. 1 - 19 of 19 Total. 1496 Visits. |
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