Mrs. Mildred Ann Hopkins, 86, wife of the late Joseph Lee Hopkins and a resident of New Church, passed away Sunday, June 2, 2024, at Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital in Onancock. Born May 13, 1938, in Kentucky, she was the daughter of the late William and Linda Blankenship.
Mildred was always family oriented. She loved spending time with her children and grandchildren. She could often be seen out to dinner at a local restaurant with one of the kids. Known for her green thumb, she spent hours in her garden. She enjoyed her job as a greenhouse worker — it brought her much peace and joy. She read her Bible every night and enjoyed watching religious programs on TV while doing her puzzles.
She also loved Andy Griffith, old black-and-white westerns, and Perry Mason. Those old TV shows reminded her of a gentler, more peaceful time. Never one to let any animal suffer, she took care of all the stray cats in the neighborhood. Mildred was a wonderful mother, and her family will miss her for the rest of their days.
She is survived by her children, James Edward Tatum and his wife, Linda, of Boydton, Lou Ann Smith and her husband, Anthony H. Smith, of Temperanceville, and Rose Ellen Payne, of New Church; grandchildren, Dawn Marie Otwell, Tina Lynn Gunter, and William D. Harlon; great-grandchildren, Hannah and Carlee Bennett, C.J. and Cameron Otwell, and Savannah, Sierra, and Susanna Fly.
Mildred was predeceased by her parents, William and Linda Blankenship; husband, Joseph Lee Hopkins; one sister; two brothers; and her grandson, Colie Robert “C.R.” Bennett.
Funeral services will be conducted from the chapel of the Williams-Onancock Funeral Home on Tuesday, June 11, at 2 p.m., with the Rev. John Higginbotham officiating. Interment will follow in the Fairview Lawn Cemetery. There will be a visitation at the funeral home one hour prior to the service.
Memory tributes may be shared with the family at
www.williamsfuneralhomes.com
Arrangements are by the Williams-Parksley Funeral Home.
