Mary Virginia Hogan Hoppes
February 29, 1924 to May 9, 2021


Virginia Hoppes passed away on Mother's Day in Tulsa at age 97 with her loving family by her side. She is remembered as a caring and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, daughter and friend, who had great faith in God and His plan for her eternal life.

Virginia was born in Kansas City, MO, on leap year day 1924, the second daughter to Ella Bernice and Harry Hogan. At age 13, her young life was sadly altered by the tragic loss of her beloved father when he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while speaking at a church service that she and her mother attended. Virginia helped her mother through that difficult time, and also cared for her in her elderly years.

Virginia graduated from the University of Kansas School of Nursing and became a registered nurse in 1946. During nurses' training at KU, she began a two-year correspondence with her roommate's brother, Marcus Hoppes, who was serving in the Navy in the South Pacific during World War II. Immediately upon his return to civilian life, Marc traveled to Kansas City to meet Virginia and her mother. He proposed to Virginia that weekend and they were married in Kansas City on June 21, 1947. Together they raised five children and fostered one other, and enjoyed 56 years of marriage before Marc passed in 2003.

Virginia and Marc started their family in 1949 as Marc was completing his degree in petroleum engineering at KU, having their first four children within five years. In 1955 they moved to Tulsa and joined Christ United Methodist Church, which was their church home for over 50 years. Virginia taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, and was active in various women's and mission groups throughout her life.

Virginia's proudest accomplishment was being a mother to her two sons and three daughters. She gave up a nursing career to be a stay-at-home mother, always present for her children. She and Marc valued education and made sacrifices so each of their children could graduate from the college of his or her choice. Her children are grateful for that, as well as for their mother's steadfast positivity and unconditional love, which were the keys to any successes that they achieved.

Virginia volunteered at her children's various activities and later at the Little Light House, a school in Tulsa for children with special needs. Some of her happiest years followed Marc's retirement from the oil business, when they were able to make a few international trips, including one to the Holy Land. They also enjoyed trips to visit their children and grandchildren.

In 2006 Virginia moved from the family home in Tulsa to Epworth Villa retirement community in Oklahoma City, and became an active member of Quail Springs United Methodist Church. At Epworth, she started a scholarship fund for Epworth employees, helped with the employees' children's Christmas parties and was a member of the Writers' Club. She was generous with her time and love to other residents and staff at Epworth, and touched many lives through her faith.

Virginia was a member of WordWrights, a Christian Writers Group. She had a passion for creating children's poetry, and she self-published many books with the help of friends who illustrated her poems. Her never-ending curiosity led her to research diverse topics such as history, Bible stories, animals and the solar system, and those interests became the subject for her poetry. She was known at Epworth for her books.

Though Virginia survived COVID in late 2020, it unfortunately took its toll physically and cognitively. She said that poems no longer came to her brain, and she struggled with the quarantines and isolation of COVID. After being vaccinated, she chose to move to an assisted living facility in Tulsa in March 2021, but sadly began a rapid decline after losing her mobility due to fractures sustained in a fall there. She spent her final weeks receiving superb hospice care at Zarrow Pointe in Tulsa, where her five children and other family members visited and shared memories and photos, made FaceTime calls to grandchildren, sang hymns and read some of her writings and her husband's love letters to her.

Virginia's adoring family and friends continue to be inspired by her generous and loving spirit. One grandchild told her, "We will not let you down" in carrying on her legacy of love and compassion for others. Though she will be greatly missed, we celebrate the life that she lived so well on earth. If there is a way to serve others from Heaven, she will find it.

Virginia was preceded in death by her parents, sister, husband, and a grandson, Marc McGinnis. She is survived by her children: David and wife Linda (Wimberly, TX), Steven and wife Linda Bell (Tulsa), Marsha and husband Thomas Pratt (Edmond, OK), Elizabeth and husband Bob Aylward (Seattle), and Marilyn and husband Gene McGinnis (Atlanta). She is also survived by 11 grandchildren: Greg, Zane, and Meghan Hoppes; Eric and Laura Pratt, Sarah Pratt Stevenson; Laura Aylward Robinson and Claire Aylward Guilmette; Luke, Mateo, and Javier McGinnis; and 8 great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to your favorite charity, or one that Virginia supported. These include the Peacebuilders Camp that her daughter Marilyn directs, and Joe's Addiction, an inner city coffee shop and service community in south OKC whose founding family greatly inspired Virginia. Links to these organizations are
< https://www.peacebuilderscamp.org/ > and www.joesaddiction.com < http://www.joesaddiction.com >.

At Virginia's request, there will be no funeral service but her family will have a reunion at a special place sometime in 2022.