Mary Theresa Hopper, nee Prower
October 15, 1929 – October 10, 2021
Mary is predeceased by her beloved husband William “Bill” Hopper; her parents, Horace Walter Prower and Maude Frances Butler Prower; and her sisters Katherine Coolen and Barbara Taylor.
Mary was born in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in the town of Everett. She graduated from Everett High School, class of 1947 at the age of 16. She worked at the Hood Rubber Company for 23 years making P.F. Flyer sneakers, starting at age 15, her war effort job.
Mary met and married Bill in 1949 after a 5 month romance. After their sons were born, they became foster parents for 24 children over an 8 year period prior to moving to St. Petersburg in 1974. In St. Petersburg Mary went to work for the Times Publishing Company as a “paper girl, and remained a newspaper carrier for 20 years, a job she loved. She also loved going on cruises – 65 by her count, Parents Without Partners, playing pinochle, doing three Times crossword puzzles a day in pen,
Mary was a strong-willed person, always optimistic, supportive, and open-minded. She wouldn’t let a little thing like esophageal cancer stop her.
Mary is survived by her two loving sons, William “Chip” Hopper and Bryan “Bucky” Hopper; her sister Elizabeth Vinci; brother John Prower, and many nieces and nephews.
Love and miss you already, Aunt Mary. Your memory of all family things of importance (or not) was unparalleled, our go-to person for facts and stories. To Chip and Bryan, thoughts and prayers are with you. Love, Judie and Jack