- Date Of Birth: March 30, 1936
- Date Of Death: April 23, 2021
- State: Idaho
Charles Timothy “Tim” Hopkins of Idaho Falls passed away on April 23rd, 2021 of heart complications. Tim was born March 30th, 1936 in Idaho Falls, the son of Zoe and Talcott Hopkins and the younger brother of Tad and Henry. He grew up on South Boulevard where he rode horses, engaged in debate, and participated in sport.
After graduation Tim enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Newfoundland, Canada.
Following GW Law, Tim wanted to return to the west which was made possible when he accepted a position with a prominent San Francisco firm. During their two years in the Bay Area, they experienced the magic and the upheaval of the times, but it was not Idaho, which was made clear when Tim asked where to do some duck hunting, and the answer was that he’d “have to rent a blind in the Sacramento delta.” In 1964 Tim and Anne had their second child, Elizabeth, who passed shortly after birth. This was a turning point in their lives, and Tim was feeling the pull of home. Tim and Anne concluded they could either live in San Francisco and spend time off in Idaho, or live in Idaho and spend time off traveling the globe.
In Idaho Falls Tim joined one of Idaho’s iconic law firms, Holden, Holden & Kidwell, then went on to start his own firm. In 1973, he joined forces with Skip French to create the law firm that is presently Hopkins, Roden, Crockett, Hansen, and Hoopes with offices in Idaho Falls and Boise. In 1966 Tim and Anne gave birth to their daughter Hilary, and in 1968 to their son Talcott “Ted”.
Tim’s law career in Idaho was outstanding and was marked by the lifelong personal and professional relationships he cultivated with his peers. Tim argued approximately 35 cases before the Idaho Supreme Court, including key cases in land-use, water rights and redistricting. Tim also served as President of the Idaho Bar in the State’s Centennial year, 1991.
In the 1980s Tim supported the Southfork Coalition in their effort to stop the construction of a large residential Planned Unit Development and golf course at the Hays Ranch adjacent to Lufkin Bottom in the South Fork of the Snake River’s stunning canyon section. This effort eventually led to protection of this magical place for perpetuity. It’s an American treasure, and Tim’s efforts in keeping it wild, along with numerous other properties along this river corridor, are one of his many enduring gifts to us all.
Though Tim was a lawyer who looked the part, acted the part, and was “the part”, he was also a family man and an avid outdoorsman who relished catching a cutthroat on a dry fly, chasing upland birds and ducks, and both riding and bettin’ on them horses. Tim spent many hours on his favorite horse Rex, riding and wrangling at “round ups” in the Bone area.
The trove of family memories is abundant and varied, but many were around tables sharing coffee and newspapers in the morning, long wonderful dinners with great conversations, and once all were of age, spirited cocktail hours in front of the fireplace or gin and tonics outside on the patio.
Tim is survived by his loving wife, Anne Hardy Hopkins; his daughter Kate Hopkins Salomon and son-in- law Hopi Salomon, daughter Hilary Anne Hopkins, son Talcott Edward “Ted” Hopkins; and his adored granddaughters, Emma Anne Salomon and Lauryn Elizabeth Hopkins. He was preceded in death by daughter Elizabeth Anne, his parents Talcott and Zoe, and his brothers Tad and Henry.
“Spring is here in eastern Idaho, and in our part of the Greater Yellowstone, native cutthroats will soon be finding their way up streams bordered with long lush grasses and stands of bushy willows for their annual spawning ritual. Shaggy moose and whitetails are nibbling tender green shoots on the floor of the cottonwood forests. And birds, everywhere, all kinds, are calling out to each other with invitations for spring romance. This is our place . . .” – Tim Hopkins
Teton Regional Land Trust, PO Box 247, Driggs, ID 83422,
Idaho Falls Symphony, 440 N Capital Avenue, Suite B, Idaho Falls, ID 83402,
Idaho Falls Community Outreach Center, 301 S Boulevard, Idaho Falls, ID 83401,
