Opal M. Hoppe

Ms. Opal Mary Hoppe of Cheyenne, Wyoming passed away peacefully on December 29, 2023, after a short battle with cancer. 

Opal was born in Lamar, Colorado on March 3, 1939, the fifth of 6 children of John and Fannie (“Dutch”) Hoppe (née Greenwood).  Opal graduated from Lamar High School in 1957 and received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Bethany Nazarene College in 1961. Following a year of Medical School in Denver, Opal worked as a soil analyst for the University of Wyoming while seeking her teaching credentials. She taught science in Holyoke, Colorado as well as Encampment and Meeteetse in Wyoming. Upon leaving teaching, Opal moved with her sister Lucille and their mother to Hot Springs, SD where she worked in a nursing home until moving to Cheyenne. WY. After a variety of jobs, always striving to find new and better work challenges, Opal found herself employed at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base library. After obtaining her master’s in psychology, Opal transitioned from the library to the Education Office, and worked her way up to the head of the department, a position she held until she retired.  

Opal was a very generous and caring person and dedicated much of her life to caring for others. She and her sister Lucille resided with and cared for their mother until her passing in 1984. Opal and her sister Lucille shared a home in Cheyenne until Lucille’s passing in 2009. Opal’s nephew Derik Hale, wife Penelope and their children, Jeremiah and Molly, shared a home in Cheyenne with Opal until Opal’s passing.

Opal enjoyed road trips, picnics, camping, bird watching (especially hummingbirds), small dogs, and had tried her hand at a variety of crafts from sewing and suncatchers to crocheting. She greatly enjoyed spending time at the Trueblood family cabin in the Snowy Range, where she was an invaluable participant in many home canning exploits. Above all, Opal was an avid reader enjoying (and collecting) many, many books from various genres, even cookbooks.  She believed that no room was complete without a bookcase and bird feeders were necessary for any window’s view. She volunteered at the Cheyenne public library and was a regular patron of the Albany County Public Library. She was also a generous supporter of several charities that championed causes for children, nature, and Christ. 

Opal was proceeded in death by her parents and her siblings John, Lucille, and Oliver “Bud” Hoppe. Opal is survived by her sisters Audene Trueblood and Pat Hale, Pat’s husband Connley, 9 nieces and nephews and their spouses and a batch of grand nieces and nephews. 

A memorial service in celebration of her life will be held at noon on January 20th at SonRise Church of the Nazarene 2811 E. 13^th St. in Cheyenne. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, a favorite picture or memory be sent to honor Opal Hoppe.