George J. Hopf,

George John Hopf, Jr., of Longmont, Colorado, died at his home on Wednesday, June 28, 2006. He was 71 years old.George was born August 2, 1934 in the Bronx, New York, to George John Hopf, Sr. and Marie (Blake) Hopf. After graduating from Bayside (NY) High School, he attended Manhattan College and New York University. George joined the United States Navy in 1953 where he served on the destroyer, the USS William R. Rush. His travels with the Navy included time spent in Italy, France, and Portugal, and also in Cuba and the Caribbean.On July 21, 1956, George married Mary Rose Sammut at the Rock of Gibraltar. The couple later divorced.Upon his honorable discharge in 1957, George began his career with IBM as an electronics technician, retiring in 1993 as a Staff Engineer/Scientist. Several of Mr. Hopf?s career highlights include his work at MIT Lincoln Labs in Massachusetts on semi-automated air defense systems for the United States Air Force, his work at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland on the launch monitor subsystems of the Mercury and Gemini projects, and with the FAA National Airspace Systems in New Jersey and California. Later assignments allowed him to be a part of the Space Shuttle program, various military aircraft systems and Mobile Ground Terminals for the USAF. In 1986, George transferred from Westlake Village, California to Longmont where he continued worked for IBM until his retirement. Most recently, George had worked for the past two years at Powerbox USA in Broomfield.George married Doreen Bunka Aldridge on August 24, 1974 in Anaheim, California.Mr. Hopf enjoyed baseball and football, especially the Colorado Rockies, the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins. He enjoyed the beauty of the mountains and often visited Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. He was active with Republican Party and worked as an election judge. George and Doreen also enjoyed square dancing and were members of Hix & Chix. Survivors include his wife, Doreen Hopf of Longmont; three daughters, Theresa Faison and her husband, Victor, of Groton, Connecticut, Brenda Aldridge of Seattle, Washington, and Beth Hager and her husband, Doug, of Simi Valley, California; a daughter-in-law, Brenda Hopf of Somers Point, New Jersey; a sister-in-law, Ellisha Westin and her husband, Phil, of Winchester, California; and three nephews, John, William, and Matthew Dammann. He is further survived by six grandchildren, Rachel, Mandy, Philip, Rudy, Laura, and Alexis; and two great grandchildren, Christopher and Spencer.He was preceded in death by his parents; his son, George J. Hopf, III, and by two sisters, Frances Dammann and Patricia Hopf.Family will greet visitors from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Calvary Church, Longmont, on Monday, July 3, 2006. Funeral services will begin at 10:30 a.m. with Pastor Tom Hovestol officiating. Military honors will conclude the service with cremation to follow at Howe Mortuary and Cremation Services, Longmont. Memorials may be made to HospiceCare of Boulder and Broomfield Counties, 2594 Trailridge Drive East, Suite A, Lafayette, CO 80026 or Calvary Church, 2101 Gay Street, Longmont, CO 80501.