Thomas Donald HOPKINS

It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our loving husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend to many, Thomas Donald Hopkins, "Hopper", 63, of Fernie, BC, on April 22, 2024, while biking with his wife and friends in Colorado.

Tom is survived by his best friend and love of his life, his wife of 32 years, Kim Hopkins; daughter, Katie; son, Thomas (Jayde); mother, Ruth; step mother-in-law, Carole; siblings, Dawn, Jim (Deb), Steve (Jackie), and Sherry (Kirby); sister-in-law, Leigh (Rob); and many nieces, nephews, aunts, cousins, friends, and favourite furry companion, Titan. Tom was predeceased by his father, Don; mother-in-law, Nita; and father-in-law, Tom; and various aunts and uncles.

He was born in Hamilton, Ontario. He moved several times throughout his childhood but found his home in Fernie in 1979 where he planted roots and found his true loves: faith, family, and community.

Tom's career started in the mine as an equipment operator and his enthusiasm for helping people led him to mine rescue and safety, and eventually to become a loss prevention officer. It was a hard decision to leave the mine, but he followed his heart and became a fire fighter and was the Fire Prevention Officer when he retired in 2020.

Some highlights of his volunteer service included The Party Program (giving youth a reality check about the impact of drinking and driving), Search and Rescue, Critical Incident Stress Management (helping others deal with trauma), 4M XCC (Extreme Character Challenge),  Shelter (building houses in El Salvador), Wapiti, Minor Hockey, helping at the Tom Uphill home, and the many ways he helped at Mountainside Community Church, most recently serving on the board.

Tom was an avid fly-fisherman and often invited new and old friends to share fly-fishing adventures with him. He was enthusiastic about hockey, including playing junior hockey in Sparwood, senior hockey for the Blazers in Fernie, and Sunday night Old-timers’ hockey. But his favourite activities were adventures with Kim. Tom was a family man. Being a father was a dream come true and one of his greatest joys. 

A Celebration of Life will be held at The Fernie Community Centre at 1:00 pm on June 1st. The family requests casual dress, and if possible, in the attire of how you met Tom or in the attire of something that reminds you of him.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to friends of Tom and Kim who are serving in South Africa through farming and capacity building https://donations.sim.ca/workers/stacy-and-joy-falk (tax receiptable)

The Hopkins family are amazed by their friends and this community. They thank everyone for all the love, prayers, and support shown to them daily. They would especially like to thank Karyn and Ed Morash for their help on the bike ride and getting back to Fernie.