Ted Hopkins

Teddy Joe Hopkins was born on Rush Island in Craighead County, Arkansas, on August 8, 1935. He passed away on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at the age of 90 at the Methodist Hospice Residence in Memphis after a long bout with dementia. He lived his earlier years in Arkansas and St. Louis before settling down in Memphis with his family in the early 1960's.

He was a man of many talents. He could build anything and fix anything. When he lived in St. Louis, he worked at McDonald Aircraft, who worked with NASA on many of the early space flights. Ted worked on the spacecraft that would be called "Friendship 7", which was the spacecraft that carried John Glenn into the first orbit of the earth in 1962. He later worked at International Harvester, Gordon's Transport, Steve Thompson Truck Lines, and Adam's Roofing in Memphis.

He had a deep love for all of the pets he had over the years. He loved baseball, especially the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. Another favorite pastime was watching westerns, especially those featuring Randolph Scott, Audie Murphy, or Johnny Mack Brown. He loved spending time with his family, friends, and neighbors, and he brought a lot of laughter to the world.

He was preceded in death by his wife of many years, Janie Tedder Hopkins; his parents, Jess and Lottie Hopkins; his brothers, Johnny, Henry, Jim, Bobby, Bill, and Larry; and his sister, Dorothy.

Ted is survived by his sons, Marty (Ronda) and Bradley; his grandchildren, Ryan Hopkins of Jonesboro and Kristin Southeren of New South Wales, Australia; his brother, Jerry Hopkins of Paragould; and many nephews and nieces. They all held a special place in his heart and will carry his memory forward.

Ted's life will be celebrated at a graveside service on Friday, June 19, 2026, at 1 PM in Linwood Cemetery. Memorials can be sent to the Methodist Hospice Residence in Memphis.