David F. Hopkins

David Hopkins passed away suddenly at his residence in Penn Yan NY on the morning of October 19th 2015. The son of Frew and Flora Hopkins, Dave was born in Penn Yan, NY on December 26th 1931 and grew up on Court Street just up the hill from the current High School.

Dave graduated from Penn Yan Academy in 1949 and was accepted to the United States Naval Academy. Over the next four years at the Naval Academy he majored in engineering, rowed for the varsity crew team, and played intramural football and basketball as well. His lifelong love of sports was evident at the Naval Academy where the quote from his yearbook stated; “…seldom was a Sunday morning that he wasn’t glued to the sports section of the paper (somebody else’s).”

After graduation from the Naval Academy in 1953, Dave was assigned his first commission on the destroyer USS McDermont and served in the Pacific arena during the Korean War. On leave from the Pacific Fleet and on temporary duty at the Treasure Island Naval School in San Francisco Dave met Catherine “Kitty” Travers of Winchester VA, a Communications Officer for the Navy at the Federal Building at the time. At the end of Dave’s schooling and before he rejoined his ship headed back to the Pacific, Kitty and Dave eloped and were married in the Episcopal Church in San Francisco on January 22, 1954.

Dave rose through the ranks to the level of Commander in the Navy and his last active duty assignment was on the attack class carrier USS Valley Forge serving in the Pacific Fleet during the Korean War. In the summer of 1955, Dave was reassigned to a ship based in Norfolk, VA., and in the summer of 1957, Dave’s term of naval service had been met and he transferred to the Naval Reserve. He applied for and was hired for an engineering position at Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, NY. After working at Kodak for 13 years, Dave decided to leave Kodak and to go into business for himself and purchased Penn Yan Marine in 1970. Dave and Kitty soon renamed the operation Hopkins Marine and for the next decade raised their children in the boating business on Keuka Lake. Dave and Kitty along with their sons Bryan, Keith, and Kyle worked the marina while Kitty also continued teaching at Penn Yan Academy. Dave later sold Hopkins Marine and in 1985 after serving over 20 years in the Naval Reserves he retired to pursue other interests such as designing and engineering the manufacturing systems for Corning Glass as a consultant, serving on non-profit boards for the Keuka Lake Boat Museum, and the Saint Mark’s Church, and teaching engineering and computer programming classes at RIT, and Castleton State. After living in Utah, and Vermont, Dave and Kitty returned home to Penn Yan in 2009 to live out the rest of their lives. Kitty was an expert in the field of antiques, always buying, selling, and collecting, especially glassware and paintings. Dave and Kitty pursued their shared love of antiquing well into their later retirement years.

Dave was a loving and devoted husband and father and rarely missed a game of football, basketball, or lacrosse that the boys played growing up in Penn Yan, and the college lacrosse, football, ski racing, and water ski competitions the boys competed in throughout their college years as well. He was known for his dry sense of humor, and was well known and liked throughout the community.

In the recent words of a parishioner at St. Marks Church; “Your dad was just a great guy, always generous with his time, and ready to assist or help those who needed it. We will all miss him.”

Dave is survived by his sons and their spouses, Bryan (Beth Ellen) of North Andover, MA; and Keith (Marsha) of Pittsfield, VT, and his wonderful grandsons; Travis, Kristopher, Harlan and Gabe. He was predeceased by his wife Kitty, his son Kyle, and his daughter, Brenda.

A memorial service will be held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church at 179 Main Street in Penn Yan on Saturday, November 7th 1pm.

Donations in Dave’s memory may be sent to Finger Lakes Developmental Disabilities at 5133 Wabash Rd, Geneva, NY 14456 where his daughter Brenda received care until her passing in 2013.