Mary A. Hopkins, 94

Mary A. Hopkins, 94, completed her journey on Sunday, July 20, 2014, at the Hospice House after a long, happy life.

Mary was born Aug. 24, 1919, in Ainsworth, Neb., on the day her oldest brother came home from World War I. When Mary was 9, Joseph and Pearl Jaques moved their family to Montana for a new start after the sand storms of South Dakota ruined their crops.

The family lived in Circle, Mont., from 1928 to 1934. Another drought brought on a move to western Montana, where Mary graduated from Lone Pine High School in 1938. Mary was devoted to her family, dropping out of school for a year to take care of her mother when she broke her hip. Entertainment consisted of board games, listening to the radio and community dances, and in the summer - baseball, shooting gophers and rounding up wild horses for the rodeo.

Mary graduated in 1942 from nursing school. That same year she joined the Army and worked in Modesto, Calif., nursing the returning soldiers from World War II. She was honorably discharged as a second lieutenant, which became a source of teasing between her and her husband, who was an Army sergeant during WWII.

In 1947, Mary completed nurse anesthetist school in Salt Lake City, Utah, and returned to Hamilton, Mont. She was the only nurse anesthetist at Marcus Daly Memorial Hospital, so in addition to scheduled surgeries she was on-call for any emergency.

On a blind date in 1950, Mary met Ed Hopkins and they were married April 4, 1951. Mary and Ed worked hard to make a living for their family and eventually were able to buy their own dairy farm in Corvallis, Mont. Mary continued to work at the hospital while raising her children and helping to run the family farm. She always had a big garden to provide the family with canned goods during the winter.

In their later years, church became a big part of Mary and Ed's lives as well as traveling, dancing with the "Golden Agers," playing pinochle, and visiting with family and friends. After Ed's passing, Mary moved to Helena, Mont., in 2009, and to Post Falls, Idaho, in 2011, where her daughter had relocated.

People were drawn to Mary with her love of family, gentleness, goodness and quick wit. She will be greatly missed, but we know because of her faith we will see her once again and rejoice that she is in the presence of Jesus.

Mary was preceded in death by husband, Ed Hopkins; son, Mike Hopkins; daughter, Edine Zimmerman; granddaughter, Candy Johnston; son-in-law, Martin Jacobson; brothers, Tom and Paul Jaques; and sister, Gertrude Sorenson.

She is survived by daughters Ann Jacobson of Post Falls, Idaho, and Patty Geiger (Wally) of Hot Springs, Mont.; three grandsons, Chris Fifield, Josh Fifield (Laura) and Mike Geiger (Honey); granddaughters, Lainey Dyer (Robert) and Debbie Caster (Darrell); great-grandchildren Alyssa Fifield, Rilyn and Koen Fifield, Gavin and Trinity Geiger, and Robbie Dyer; special nieces Beverly Bangen (Irwin) and Patsy Sorenson; and caregivers, Stevie Smith and Debra Nicoletti.

Thank you to Hospice of North Idaho staff and volunteers who helped transition Mary to her final destination in comfort and peace.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 2, at Real Life Ministries, 1866 N. Cecil Road, Post Falls, Idaho. Donations in Mary's memory may be made to Hospice of North Idaho, 9493 N. Government Way, Hayden, Idaho, 83835, or Union Gospel Mission (Center for Women and Children), 1224 E. Trent, Spokane, Wash., 99202.