Carl L. Hopkins, age 63, avid skeet shooter and bicyclist, departed this life on June 6, 1996.
He is now in that place where he'll always shoot a '25' and there are nothing but tail winds.He was born in Merced, California on July 23, 1932 to Lilly May Lay and William Henry Hopkins. He attended Watsonville High School in Watsonville, California and graduated from the University of Santa Clara in Santa Clara, California. He married Juanita Carol Gray on December 22 ("the longest night of the year"), 1951, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and felt his "most notable accomplishments" were their five children. He was an electrical engineer for Westinghouse and was president of the Circle-Bar-W Chapter of Toastmasters International. He won many humorous speech contests and retained his sense of humor to the end.
Carl, affectionately referred to by his family as "The Grump," is survived by his wife, Juanita of Salt Lake City; daughters, Pamela (Colin) Bradley of Chantilly, Virg.; Carol Ann Hopkins (Frederic Clayton) of Salt Lake City; Alison (Robert) Nelson of Snowville, Utah; and son, Paul L. Hopkins (Jeanne Martin) of Folsom, Calif.
He is also survived by his sister, Virginia (Charles) Bella, and a brother, Les (Carole) Hopkins, as well as eight grandchildren: Jesse, Christopher, Amanda, Carl, Amberleigh, Courtney, China, and Caleb. He was preceded in death by his youngest child, Charlotte Lynn Hopkins; two older brothers, William and Vance Hopkins, and his mother and stepfather.
Carl was a wonderful story teller and his sense of humor and quick, dry wit will be sorely missed by all who knew him. He taught us all that "laughter truly is the best medicine."
The family would like to thank Dr. Patricia Legant for the excellent care he received during his illness.
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