- Date Of Birth: December 13, 1924
- Date Of Death: August 11, 2015
- State: Michigan
Robert Hoppes, Sr.
Portland, Michigan
Robert Hoppes, Sr., founder of Reed and Hoppes, passed away on Tuesday, August 11, 2015, surrounded by his entire family. He was 90 years old. Family and the business meant everything to him. He did something he loved and never considered it working. He was an honest, hardworking, and very generous man. Everyone whom he met has a story about him. He was part of so many lives and was humble about the lives he touched. Robert Hoppes, Sr., served in World War II in the United States Army and after the war he worked at Holly Carburetor in Portland. He was a prominent lifetime member of the VFW Post 4090, where he was a past president and bartender. In the business, he was unmatched. He was a distributor for Miller Industries, served as Treasurer of the Michigan Towing Association, and was inducted in to the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame. Robert was also proud to be involved in his children’s educations through the Portland School District as a longtime member of the school board. These were just some of his accomplishments in life. Bob, as he was known by everyone close to him, and his late wife Florence, founded Reed & Hoppes in 1947 and worked every day alongside each other until Florence’s death in 1996. Surviving are his sisters, Arlene Luscher and Lucy Hoppes, as well as 10 children: Kathlene Harris, Robert (Linda) Hoppes Jr., Vicki (Al) Richar, Mary (Dan) Ferguson, Joyce Hoppes, Jeanne (Thomas) Grawburg, Judy (Rob) Barr, Julie (Eugene) Ridenour, Marsha (Daniel) Gambill, and John Hoppes. He also has 5 beloved grandchildren: Robert, Daniel (Katelyn), Sabrina, Grant, and Robert; great-grandchild, Daniel. He has many nieces and nephews who are close with the family. Everyone in the family is involved in some way with the business. He loved the towing industry, helping people, woodworking, collecting antiques-especially clocks, birdwatching, playing cards twice a week with his closest friends, going to billiards tournaments on the VFW District 9 Pool League, and going on car rides with his family to get ice cream. His idea of a vacation was riding from one of his many business locations to the next. But home was the original building of the business, and that was where he always returned. The business is still going strong after 68 years, with the help of 38 year employee Joe Towner along with the rest of the family. Even at 90 years old, Robert Hoppes, Sr. played a very important role in the business. Robert Hoppes, Sr. was born on December 13, 1924 and passed away on August 11, 2015. He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Erma Hoppes, wife Florence, and sisters Dorothy Hoppes and Lillian Fox; son-in-laws, Carl Harris and Terre Coffman. The family would like to extend a special thanks to Kenny and Phil Gensterblum of the Portland Fire & Ambulance Department for bringing him home. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him.
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