Nancy A. Hoppel

Nancy Ruth Alderson was born on Feb 16, 1944, in Lakota, N.D., to Dr. Thomas F. Alderson and Bernice Alderson. She was a 1962 graduate of Grand Forks Central High School, where she developed a life-long bond with a special group of friends called "the potluck." In 1966, Nancy earned a bachelor of science degree in home economics at the University of North Dakota, where she was a proud member of Delta Gamma sorority. Nancy went on to work as a registered dietitian at Porter Memorial Hospital (now AdventHealth Porter) in Denver, then worked briefly as an R.D. at the Independence Sanitarium in Missouri.

Her major interests were family, cooking, crafts, reading and traveling.

A member of the Episcopal Church, Nancy was known for her genuine kindness and caring.

Nancy is survived by her husband of 53 years, Joseph Hoppel, whom she met in Denver and married on May 5, 1973, in Grand Forks. Besides living in Denver, the couple would later call Greater Kansas City home and then suburban St. Louis.

Other survivors include Nancy's brother, Robert Alderson (Peggy) of Grand Forks; nieces Heather Chan (Keen) of Brandon, S.D., and Jennifer Adamson (Mark) of Fargo; and nephews Thomas Alderson (Rachel) of Moorhead, Minn., Jimmy Gambucci (Jeanne) of Minneapolis and Tony Gambucci (Liz Gitler) of Oceanside, Calif.

Mrs. Hoppel was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Thomas Earl Alderson, who died in Vietnam in 1968; and a sister, Janie, who died last October.

A heartfelt thank you to the clinical manager and staff of Healthy Family Home Care and to St. Luke's Rehabilitation Hospital, both close to home, for all of their help. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the International OCD Foundation (https://iocdf.org/).

A graveside service will be held at Olinger Hampden Mortuary & Cemetery, 8600 East Hampden Ave, Denver, CO 80231, US, on August 4, 2026, from 10:00 am to 10:30 am.