Donald Richard Hopkins

Donald Richard Hopkins died September 21, 2022, in Jacksonville, Florida, after a short illness. He was 87 years old. Don was born May 1, 1935, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His parents were Jerold and Gladys Hopkins. He had one older brother, Jerold Conrad (J.C.)

Don graduated from La Crosse Central High School in 1952 and married his high school sweetheart Janet Hilton in 1954. They had two children: Candace Moody (Thom) of Jacksonville, FL, and Brian Hopkins (Irene TenEyck) of La Crosse.

Janet passed away in April 2019. Don is survived by Candace and Brian, two grandchildren, Andrea Tweed of Whitehall, Wisconsin and Dorinda Knuteson of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, and 4 great grandchildren.

Don served two years in the U.S. Army before returning to La Crosse to work in the manufacturing business his father had started in the 1940s. He worked with his brother J.C. until becoming the sole owner of the business. In 1989, Don and Janet retired, selling the business to their son Brian. Don and Janet lived in Swansboro, North Carolina, before moving to Jacksonville, Florida in 1999 to be near their daughter Candace.

Don was a member of the generation of men who knew how to build things, fix things, and make do with what they had. He remodeled his house, worked on his own car, solved problems with his hands, built playhouses, kissed boo boos better, and took care of his family with no fuss and no complaints.

Don could design and build almost anything, and he always knew the answers to the questions you had: How does this thing work? Why do we have to do it that way? Can this be fixed? (Spoiler alert: usually, yes.) Candace and Thom’s home in Jacksonville is filled with examples of his design ingenuity and craftsmanship that they treasure.

After Janet’s death. Don lived quietly. He enjoyed reading and spending time with his family, his friends, and his thoughts. He will be missed.