Rosemary Hoppe died Oct. 14 from liver cancer. She was 75. Hoppe was born and raised in Fort Atkinson, Wis. While training to be a nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chicago, she met her future husband, Bill. After three years of correspondence and vacation visits, she moved to New York City and they were married in the church founded by his parents.
In 1955, Bill Hoppe became employed with the Rand Corp. developing computer systems for the Air Force. The couple moved to Lexington, Mass. Two years later, they relocated to Santa Monica. The couple purchased a home in Malibu in 1958.
Rosemary Hoppe helped to establish the Malibu Methodist Church Nursery School and worked there for about five years. She obtained an early education degree from Santa Monica College. From 1973 to 1988, she worked for the Oxnard Elementary School District as a reading specialist. Since many students were Spanish speakers, Hoppe spent three summers honing her Spanish skills at universities in Mexico. Upon retirement, Hoppe became an avid bridge player and novel reader. Her volunteer activities included more than 5,000 hours in 16 years as a docent for the Malibu Lagoon Museum, the Friends of the Malibu Library and the Malibu Senior Citizens Club. Until her recent illness, she was active with all of those groups, and in a book club and Bridge-o-Rama, a Thursday night senior bridge program.
In September, a biopsy confirmed Hoppe had liver cancer. After one chemotherapy treatment, she was admitted to Santa Monica Hospital on Oct. 9. She willed her body to Loma Linda University for medical research.
Hoppe is survived by her sister, Barbara Green, husband, Bill, children, Steven, Jeanne and Craig, daughter-in-law, Rosemarie, and grandchildren, Brian, Rachel and Kristopher.