He was born in Keene, NH on February 6, 1938, the son of Arthur F. Poppenberg and Ruth E. (McCoy) Hope. John grew up in Keene, moving to Fitchburg, MA as a teen, and was a 1956 graduate of Fitchburg High School.
John’s father passed away suddenly before he was born. Adopted at an early age, the Hope family, as well as the Spiess family, became an intricate part of John’s life. There remained a close bond with both families throughout his lifetime.
John proudly served his country as part of the U.S. Army. He served 4 years on Active Duty, and throughout his life, served several additional years in the Army Reserves.
John was a strong family man and very proud of his role as both a father and grandfather. So much so, that as his children were attending schools, he took on jobs in custodial services in the schools they were attending so that he could observe their accomplishments first-hand. Eventually, he retired from SAU 29 after his oldest daughter Karen graduated Keene High School in 1996.
He married the love of his life, Helen Hope, on February 4, 1977. Although they were no longer together as husband and wife at the time of his passing, they always remained close friends.
A hard worker, John was proud of his work with the City of Keene, reading and repairing water meters; installing parking meters as well as many of the city's sidewalks; and driving City trucks for both the DPW and the Highway Department. He was very independent, and this made him successful in whatever he set his mind to do. He enjoyed hobbies such as Woodworking and carpentry, and loved making furniture for his family. A handyman of sorts, he could fix just about anything that needed fixing or repair. He enjoyed weekly outings to the local Bingo Hall as well as going to Yard Sales on weekends. He enjoyed photography, entering photographs and winning several ribbons at the Cheshire Fair. He took great pride in caring for his yard; also feeding the birds that came to visit and whom he loved to watch. This love of feeding and watching the birds continued while he was at Genesis, placing a bird feeder outside of the window in his room.
He had an infectious laugh and sense of humor, and this will be greatly missed by the staff at Genesis. He loved watching TV shows that made people laugh as well as his favorite game shows on TV.
He is survived by two daughters, Karen J. Hope (and husband, Jason Lavoie), of Marlborough, Kimberly S. (Hope) Clark of Marlborough, as well as grandchildren Ryan, Nathan, Breanne, and Dylan; a God-daughter, Diane M. (Spiess) Duhaime of Florida; three brothers, Jerome Hope (and wife, Carmelle), and Jeremy Hope, all of Lunenburg, MA; and Norman Hope Sr. of Gardner, MA; and Sister-in-Law Diane Hope, of Lunenburg, MA; as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins. John was predeceased by three brothers, Joseph Hope, James Hope, Sr., and Emile "Jack" Spiess, as well as two sisters, Jackie (Hope) Boyle and Dorothy (Spiess) Wyman.
A graveside service with military honors will be held on Saturday, November 21, 2020 at 1:00pm in the Pine Grove Cemetery, Granite Street, Marlborough. Family and friends are invited to attend and are asked to wear facemasks and maintain physical distancing requirements.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in John's name to any of the following: The US Veterans Administration (local or federal), The American Red Cross, The New Hampshire Food Bank, or The Frost Free Library (located in the Town of Marlborough, which he loved so much.)
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