Hans E. Hopf, 89, of Redding, CT, and Mad River Glen passed away on
September 27, 2010. He was born in Nuremberg, Germany, and emigrated to
the United States in 1939. He served in the 10th Mountain Division in
WWII and was an Infantry First Lieutenant in the Korean War. He
graduated from the University of Wisconsin and went on to become an
administrator in the Student Union at the University of Minnesota. He
later became the director of Student Affairs at New York University and
the financial director of the Low-Heywood-Thomas School in Stamford, CT.
He married Joan Talcott Poindexter in 1951 in Madison, Wisconsin, and
they lived in Minneapolis, MN; Larchmont, NY; Old Greenwich, CT; and
Waitsfield, VT. Joan predeceased him in 1994 and he has been the loving
partner of Anne Berntsen of Rye, NY, since 2001.
Hans was a lifelong skier and was active in the National Ski Association
during the 1950s. He loved to ski at Mad River Glen in Vermont and
Alta, Utah, and is responsible for instilling a great love of the sport
in his children and grandchildren.
Hans was passionate about the arts and was a supporter of the American
Ballet Theatre, The Metropolitan Opera and many museums and other
cultural organizations. He also supported the University of Wisconsin
Hoofers and Student Union. He was very active in the Meadow Ridge
community in Redding CT, where he lived for the last nine years of his
life. He was a member of the Community Unitarian Church of White
Plains, NY, and the Unitarian Church of Westport, CT.
Hans is survived by his daughter Betsy Jondro of Waitsfield, VT, and his
son Bill Hopf and his wife Kathy of Fairfield, CT. He leaves four
grandchildren, Foster Jondro of Boston, MA, Katherine Jondro of
Waitsfield, VT, and Eric and Christopher Hopf of Fairfield, CT; and a
step-grandson, Rob Schuellein of Cos Cob, CT; his stepbrother, Walter
Mailaender and his wife Bobbi of Mt. Kisco, NY; and many beloved nieces
and nephews in Haifa, Israel, survive him as well. His many friends will
miss him for his great spirit, generosity, energy and good humor. His
eternal optimism was contagious and helped him throughout his life. As
Hans would say...ONWARD!
A celebration of his life will be held at Meadow Ridge, 100 Redding Rd,
Redding, CT, on Saturday, October 16, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers,
please make a donation in his name to the Mad River Glen Ski Patrol,
P.O. Box 1089, Waitsfield, VT 05673. Donations may also be made to the
Arts for Youth Fund at the Fairfield County Community Foundation "in
memory of Hans Hopf," 383 Main Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06851 or online at
www.fccfoundation.org.
