Brenda Hopper

Brenda James Hopper passed quietly, surrounded by love and devotion, on March 5, in Memphis, Tennessee. Brenda was born June 23, 1947, in Memphis, Tennessee. She was preceded in glory by her parents, John James & Myrl James, and her brother, Don James.

Brenda is survived by her husband, Jim Hopper; her brother, Frey James; her sisters, Barbara Pryor and Karen Harry; her son, Jon Larson, and daughters, Jennifer Wharry, Jamie Grissom; and her grandchildren, Jaden and Jaycee Grissom. In addition to the immediate family there is a legion of nieces and nephews whose lives are intertwined in the widely spread branches of family.

Brenda was a person whose life was not measured by what she accumulated, but by what she gave. If this remembrance were to name every life improved by Brenda’s love, it would fill volumes and span nations. She embraced life fully and celebrated every day she was granted on this earth. Brenda’s passing is mourned deeply by those who loved her, but even more importantly, her life is celebrated.

For more than fifty years, Brenda opened her home and her heart to the lost and the strays, those whose family lives, personal lives, or both were distressed and in need of help. Many found not just shelter under her roof, but also direction, correction, laughter, and the fierce kind of love that refuses to let anyone give up on themselves.

Her family and extended family often describe her this way: tough, respectful, loving, loud (very loud), caring, kind, honest enough to flip you off if you deserved it, or if she just thought you needed it. Harsh when necessary. No nonsense and no excuses. But all of it

was done with love and to push people to become better than they believed they could be.

There was always a playfulness to Brenda, and those lucky enough to know her could tell when a “you’re full of it” or a proudly flipped bird was actually code for “I love you.”

Brenda believed in people even when they did not yet believe in themselves. She demanded the best from those she cared about because she saw the best in them long before they could see it on their own.

Few people possess the strength to love that honestly or that fiercely. Brenda did.

Her life reflected the words of Scripture:

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me… Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” ~Matthew 25:35–40

Brenda lived that calling every day of her life.

There was, throughout her life, a school of children whom Oliver Twist himself would have recognized, and through them a legacy spread far and wide: a legacy of love, strength, and kindness rooted in knowing Brenda and calling her Mom.

It is for this group that I speak now:

Rest easy, Mom. We have always loved you. We have always known you wanted the best for us. With a resounding thank you, we say goodbye for today. We will see you again in all the lives we touch until it is our time to go home.