Kerry Gardner Hopkin, 70, devoted husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully in his home in Needham, MA on Saturday, March 18, 2023. He was born on August 2, 1952 in Laramie, WY to Bonita Gardner and John Alfred Hopkin.
Kerry grew up in Palo Alto, CA. As a young man he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. His love for sports stayed with him throughout his life and was shared by his children. At the age of 19, Kerry served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Germany. He attended Brigham Young University where he studied economics. He joined the University Choir and discovered his talent and love for singing, a gift that he shared with loved ones throughout his life. It was also at this time when he met the love of his life, Marianne Heiner.
Kerry and Marianne were married in the Los Angeles LDS Temple on December 21,1974. After they both graduated from BYU, Kerry earned his MBA at the University of Chicago. His career took the family to Dallas, Houston, and eventually Needham, MA where they raised their five children - Jennifer, Daniel, Andrew, Megan and Brian - and lived for 40 years. Kerry spent the majority of his career as a Chief Financial Officer for various companies.
Kerry found great joy serving in the LDS church as teacher, secretary, counselor, bishop, president and patriarch. He impacted many people’s lives for good through his Christ-centered faith, discipleship and service. Kerry served for more than ten years in the Boston 3rd Ward where he developed a special relationship with the Haitian members of that congregation. It was during this time that Carlens and Hantzly Murat joined the Hopkin Family.
Kerry was passionate about education and helping people improve their academic opportunities. Along with his parents and siblings, he established the Hopkin Foundation in 1985 which has provided college scholarships to over 200 low-income students from Massachusetts, Africa, Asia, South America and the Caribbean. He was instrumental in raising funds, identifying potential scholarship recipients and supporting them through the college application process. He personally mentored the scholarship recipients, most of whom were the first in their families to attend college, and provided meaningful guidance along their educational journey. His generous labor of love will be carried on by his family and close friends.
Kerry loved the nature of New England and the Rocky Mountain West. He enjoyed going on walks around Castle Island, Ogunquit Beach, the Needham Reservoir and the Provo River Trail. He also loved hamburgers and fries, watching movies and laughing at his own jokes. But above all, Kerry loved his family. He always supported his dear wife Marianne in her artistic and musical pursuits and he was her biggest fan. He cherished time talking and playing with his grandchildren and watching them pursue their dreams. He will always be remembered for his kindness, wisdom, generosity and gentleness of spirit.
Kerry is survived by his beloved wife of 49 years, Marianne Heiner Hopkin and their dog Annie; daughter Jennifer Hopkin and grandchildren Elena and Sofia Lopez; son Daniel Hopkin and grandchildren Taylor, Audrey, Whitney, Spencer and Lucy Hopkin; son Andrew Hopkin and grandchildren Yemisrach Jordan, Mihret, Mark, Jesse and John Hopkin; daughter Megan Jensen, husband Dave and grandchildren Katelyn, McKenna, Brooklyn, Lucas, and Jacob Jensen; son Brian Hopkin, wife Lauren and grandchildren Emerson, Claire, and Beau Hopkin; son Carlens Murat, wife Ashlynn and grandchildren Carline and Frederick Murat; son Hantzly Murat, wife Bethlehem and grandchildren Amari and Zeina Murat; Daniel Xu and Jess Li; brother Arden Hopkin and wife Lorraine; brother Jeff Hopkin; brother-in-law John Dow and wife Marcia. He is preceded in death by his parents John and Bonita Hopkin, his sister Tana Dow, his brother Mark Hopkin, and nephew Ben Hopkin.
A memorial service for Kerry will be held on Saturday, April 8, 2023 at 11:00 am at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 150 Brown St, Weston, MA. There will be an opportunity to offer condolences to the family after the memorial service. Lunch will also be served.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Hopkin Foundation in Kerry’s honor.
http://hopkinfoundation.org/