HOPPER, Robert Elison

The Verde Independent, Cottonwood, AZ October 27, 2006 Robert Elison Hopper died Oct. 18, 2006, at his home in Youngtown. He was born to Frank and Dorothy Hopper on April 26, 1931, in Chicago, Ill. Bob attended Chicago Vocational Tech and finally joined the U.S. Air Force. After the service he married Emily Strache, the love of his life, in 1951. Together they raised six children. He loved camping and fishing with the family. They moved to Cottonwood in 1971 where once again Bob felt a call to service by becoming a member of REACT and assisted in local emergencies. He then became a founding member of the Cottonwood Rural Fire Department. He retired in 1991 to pursue his love for planes, trains and automobiles. Bob was a member of the Central Arizona Modelers and the Arizona Model Railroading Society. Survivors include his children Robert Hopper Jr. (Sandy) of Rogers, Ark., David Hopper (Cheryl) of Florence, Ky., Mike Hopper (Jeanette) of Rogers, Ark., Bill Hopper (Dorothy) of Boaz, Ala., Wendy Owens (Roger) of Phoenix, and Lori Palmer (Bob), of Glendale; his siblings Arlene, Georgene and Jim; and 15 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren A memorial service is to be at Mt. Ridge Baptist Church at 23104 N 67th Ave., Glendale, on Oct. 28 at 4 p.m.