Joseph Wilmot HOPLEY

HOPLEY, HETLAND, STEVENS, ROSENDAHL, THOMPSON, NOLAND, CHRISTIANS, FLORES, JACKSON, FROHLING, WALROD

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 3/15/2011 at 12:36:40

November 18, 1928 --- March 12, 2011

KLEMME, IA - Joseph "Bill" Hopley, 82, of Klemme also known in the North Iowa area as "Bill the Barber" died Saturday, March 12, 2011, at the Rehabilitation Center of Belmond with his family at his bedside. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, March 17, at the Cataldo Funeral Chapel, 160 E. Fourth St., in Garner. Burial will be in Concord Township Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5 until 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Cataldo Funeral Chapel and will continue one hour prior to services. Memorials may be directed to the family.

Joseph Wilmot Hopley, the son of Joe and Esther (Hetland) Hopley, was born on Nov. 18, 1928 in Thornton. He graduated from Thornton High School in 1947, where he was a standout athlete in basketball, baseball and boxing. He went on to compete in boxing at the Golden Gloves Tournament in Des Moines. On June 18, 1950 he married Donna Stevens at the Thornton Methodist Church. In his early years, Bill farmed and worked at Allied Feed Mill. He then attended Iowa Barber College in Des Moines graduating in 1961. Bill interned in various barbershops in North Iowa before opening his own shop in Garner, "Bill's Barbershop." In 1986, he retired back to his roots on an acreage east of Klemme. Bill raised hogs, a dairy cow named Daisy, chickens and his faithful dog, Toby. He was an avid Hawkeye basketball fan, loved reading western books and watching John Wayne movies. Bill also loved the outdoors going hunting and, especially, fishing. He and Donna spent many days fishing on Clear Lake and also took fishing trips with the family to Minnesota. During his later years, he could be found sitting outside on his patio smoking his pipe, throwing a tennis ball for the dog and occasionally "shocking the worms" for the bait shop.

Bill is survived by his wife of sixty years, Donna, of Klemme; two daughters, Coleen (David) Rosendahl of Mason City and Wendy (Bill) Thompson of Klemme; four grandchildren, Jamie (Amanda) Rosendahl of Mason City, Melissa (Rusty) Noland of Mason City, Mike (Celina) Thompson of Belmond and Matt (Sara) Thompson of Mason City; seven great-grandchildren, Syndi, Ashlee, Alexis, Nathachia, Allison, Claire and Grant; one great-great-grandson, Alix; two sisters, Bonnie Christians of Klemme and Mary (Jim) Jackson of Rockwell; a brother, Douglas (Gina) Hopley in California; two sisters-in-law, Doris (Fred) Flores of Mason City and Delores Frohling of Meservey; many nieces and nephews; and a great- grand-dog, Duke. He was preceded in death by his parents; his parents-in-law, Lloyd and Hattie Stevens; three brothers-in-law, Lawrence Walrod, Merle Frohling and Clarence Christians; a sister-in-law, Dorothy Walrod; and a niece, Debbie Jackson.

To Dad and Grandpa on the farm: We will miss the aroma of Prince Albert and your pipe, your jokes and songs and the whir of electric clippers signaling the beginning of another haircut. Sleep well grandpa, we love you and miss you!!! "The Group" Cataldo Funeral Home.

Mason City Globe Gazette - Iowa
March 15, 2011