Linda Joan Hopson
April 28, 1942 – January 15, 2024
Stockton resident, Joan Hopson, walked through the Gates of Heaven on January 15th, 2024, after a full life of many blessings. Her body has been laid to rest at Cherokee Memorial Cemetery in Lodi, CA, but her spirit is now in the presence of her Savior and Lord.
Joan is preceded in death by her husband, Norman Hopson. Joan is survived by her three children, Melanie Hopson of Patterson, CA, Jennifer Williams of Sacramento, CA, and Ted Hopson of Stockton, CA, as well as her two grandchildren, Emily Brown of Sacramento, CA, and Colton Connor of Roseville, CA, and her three siblings, Janice Hopson of Sacramento, CA, Larry Sackerson of Stockton, CA and Roger Sackerson of Windsor, CO.
Joan was born in Turlock, CA, on April 28, 1942 to Joseph and Agnes Sackerson and was the second of four children. She has three siblings: Janice, Larry and Roger. Her family moved to Stockton when she was a child and she lived most of her adult life there. Joan was married for 31 years to her husband, Norman Hopson, who worked as an Inspector and Senior Field Clerk for Pacific Gas & Electric Company and went to Heaven in 1993.
Joan met and fell in love with Norman, who was literally the boy who lived around the corner. As time passed, they got to know each other and started dating. Joan graduated from Stagg High School then went on to Delta College. In 1961 for one semester both Joan and Norm attended Biola College. Norm proposed to Joan during a concert of Handel’s Messiah by passing her a note asking her to marry him. She wrote back “yes,” and on August 18, 1962, they were wed.
During the 1960’s Joan and Norm started their family. Together they had three children: Melanie, Jennifer, and Ted.
Joan, a devout Christian, was a member and attendee of Stockton Covenant Church (SCC) for 73 years until her dying day. Joan enjoyed playing the piano and in her early years played for children in Sunday school classes. In her older years, she would arrive at church early to play hymns for congregants before the service started.
Joan had the gift of mercy displayed through comforting and encouraging others. She spent countless years of her life regularly visiting the sick and elderly in her congregation and the community to offer them comfort and prayer. Joan loved to send cards and write words of encouragement to others. She corresponded with countless people and would proudly count the number of cards she received in return for holidays and special occasions. Anyone who received a card from Joan, could count on it containing words of love and encouragement as well as cartoon and magazine clippings of beautiful and relevant images that would literally spill out of the envelope.
Joan first began battling breast cancer at the young age of 42. She battled it in 1984, 1993, 2019 and 2023 before she finally succumbed to it in 2024. Perhaps it is her early, lengthy, and ongoing battle that spurred her gift of mercy and comfort of others.
Joan loved cats, the ocean, See’s Candy and hanging out with friends at local eateries. She will be missed by many!
A Memorial Service will be held on January 27, 2024, at Stockton Covenant Church, located at 1720 Oxford Way, Stockton, CA 95204. The Service begins at 1:00 pm with a reception to follow in the church social hall.
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Cherokee Memorial Park is honored to serve the Hopson family.