Words for Will Hoppe at his Celebration of Life
from Bill and Sally Altman
29 May 2014
To those who knew you Will,
You were a MAN among men;
To us you were more –
Our cousin, our friend.
This message derives,
Right from our heart;
We really liked Will –
Right from the start.
And what we learned
With ensuing time;
He was a quality guy,
And truly sublime.
We’ve never known a better man…
A lot of kindness, without any demands,
A lot of giving, with wide-open hands;
A lot more smiles, with rarely a frown,
And never any kickin’ a man who was down.
A lot more WE, a lot less I,
A lot more laughs, without any cry;
A lot more flowers, a lot less strife,
For a new family of four, dealt mid-life.
Few ever have the courage to do what he did…
His life was earnest,
His actions kind,
A willing hand,
An active mind,
Anxious to please,
Loathe to offend,
Part of our family,
And, our faithful friend.
And he did it all well,
As if in a song;
AWAY went the mold
When Will came along
Little things we remember…
His GREAT martinis on visiting Bev and Will;
His great pride in building the TIMES with skill;
His natural belief in the liberal cause;
His love for golf ‘til life made him pause.
Always in a worry about how others stood;
Loving ALL his kids like a caring Father should;
His love of basketball he did happily divulge;
The fear he felt in war’s Battle of the Bulge.
The way he’d devour The Sunday TIMES;
Dedication to puzzles – to lose was a crime!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY songs he sang with glee,
Over the phone, and WAY off-key…
…and many, many more…
…he wore his heart on his sleeve
Though we smile and make little fuss,
Few will miss Will more than us.
There is a link death cannot sever,
Love and remembrance last forever.
And when old times we oft recall,
It’s then we’ll miss him most of all.
So here’s to Will, and here’s to Will,
Let it be known as he lies at rest
He was among the very best, and
We’ve never met a better man
So we’ll drink, drink, drink UP to Will:
“Zum Wohl !”
And may the strength of us ALL be EVER in your journey!
