bharrison65
Joined: 06 Jun 2007
Posts: 256
Location: Longview, TX
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 Posted:
Tue Jun 16, 2009 7:55 am |
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Thomas Simpson Hopkins, 65, of Roswell, died Friday, June 12, 2009, at his home with his wife by his side.
Tom was born March 3, 1944, in St. Louis, to Stephen B. Hopkins and Margaret (Simpson) Hopkins. On April 5, 2003, in Roswell, he was married to Kelly Laughead, who survives of the family home.
He was a 1963 graduate of Kemper Military School in Boonville, Mo. He was drafted into the Army in 1964 and later served eight years with the Missouri Army National Guard. He was a 1997 graduate of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.
Tom was a reporter for more than 35 years, working in print, radio and television. The many stories he covered included: an attempted coup in Haiti; the repatriation of Haitian immigrants from Miami; the trial of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega; the first presidential elections in Nicaragua; the German tourist murders in Miami; Hurricane Andrew's aftermath; and Florida's infamous "hanging chad" election in 2000.
He was a reporter for United Press International, Miami bureau, and freelanced for NBC/Mutual Broadcasting Network. He was the radio and television play-by-play announcer for the Kansas City Kings from 1974 to 1977 and the radio announcer for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1977. Other stops in his broadcast career included Dallas, Detroit and Boston.
Tom also worked as a freelance writer in Costa Rica for nearly a year, followed by stints at the Roswell Daily Record and the Las Cruces Sun-News.
Tom enjoyed fishing, barbecuing, watching the St. Louis Cardinals and engaging in spirited conversations, especially about politics. Most of all, he cherished quiet time at home with Kelly and his dogs.
He was an honest and honorable man who expected no less from those around him. As a three-time cancer survivor, he lived and loved with a rare intensity. Although words were Tom's stock in trade, they could never adequately express how profoundly he will be missed.
To Tom - my north, my south, my east, my west - from Kelly: Love never fails.
In addition to his wife, Tom is survived by a son, the Rev. Jason Porter and his wife, Rachael, of suburban St. Louis; a brother, Stephen B. Hopkins, of Effingham, Ill.; his wife's parents, John and Patricia Laughead, of Roswell; two sisters-in-law, Patricia Miller and her husband, Leevo, of Roswell, and Julie Saadoun and her husband, Fabien, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; two brothers-in-law, John Laughead, of Hanover, Pa., and David Laughead, of Dover, Pa.; two former step-daughters, Amanda Paris and her husband, Dave, of Coral Springs, Fla., and Tracy Badraoui and her husband, Tarek, of Ormond Beach, Fla.; and his two dogs, Finn and Maggie.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his best pal, mentor and canine sidekick, Hobbes.
As per Tom's request, his remains - along with his favorite hat and boots - will be cremated. Family and friends are invited to attend wake at the family home, 205 Robins Drive, beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
In lieu of memorial contributions, Tom asked that you save your money and take your dog for a walk instead.
Published in the Roswell Daily Record on June 14, 2009 |
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