O B I T U A R Y for John Carlton Hopkins “Jack” John Carlton Hopkins started his next great adventure on Friday morning, October 25, 2013 in San Diego, California. John was a caring and compassionate man with wit, intelligence and generosity of spirit; always ready to lend a helping hand. Born in Pomeroy, Washington, to Eleanor and Guy Earl, John was the “middle brother”. His older brother, Bert, was 10 years his senior, and his little brother, Charles, was 10 years his junior. John passed part of his youth in Medford, Oregon. During the Great Depression, his mother and father moved the family to San Diego where John spent the rest of his youth. As a young man, he was called upon to help support his parents and little brother Charles, due to his father’s illness. During World War II, John’s older brother, Bert, a sailor in the U.S. Navy, also sent money home to help the family. John had served in the US Army but chose to make his career as a Manufacturing Engineer. He worked for a time at Langley Corporation, where fishing reels were produced (and he met his future wife.) He owned a small manufacturing business, Robot, where the ingenious “Mrs. Cordreys Spatter Shield” and “Rug Maker” were produced. Eventually, he was hired on with Convair as a Tool and Die Maker for the Aerospace Industry and was able to purchase a brand new home in Pacific Beach for his parents and brother. John eventually sold his business and went on to build a home and start a family of his own. He continued to provide for his parents until their deaths. John retired from Convair having contributed to the development of the Atlas and Cruise missiles. John was a highly curious man, keenly interested in the myriad subjects that the universe has to offer. He was always ready to share his knowledge and loved to engage in lengthy, meandering conversations. John was athletic and loved sailing, skiing, hiking and biking. As a young boy he built two boats in his father’s garage and sailed them on the San Diego bay. His enthusiasm for sailing lasted throughout his life and included sail races and teaching. He was an active member of the Convair Sailing Club and was an original member of the San Diego Ski Club. John was a loving family man, married to his wife Marcella for 64 years. Marcella and John were true kindred spirits still very much in love, toasting each other every evening and having recently celebrated the anniversary of their first date 65 years ago. John and Marcella traveled the world extensively on remarkable adventures that spanned every continent. Together, they went trekking in Nepal, sledging in Greenland, visited the penguins in Antarctica, and were among the first U.S. tourists returning to Iran after the U.S. hostage crisis ended. The list goes on and on. John was “Daddy” to his four children; Sylvia, Judith, Paul and Claudia. He was loving and caring and worked tirelessly to provide a good life for them which included wonderful family adventures. John was also “Grandfather” to his eight grandchildren; Amanda, Jacob, Shannon, Sabrina, Nigel, Alexandra, Natasha and Christopher. He loved to take them sailing and teach them about his favorite sport. He was an incredible role model for his children and grandchildren. We loved him dearly and our hearts are aching with his loss.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 19:01:36 +0000
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