THE REUNIONSSunday, July 25, 1954 cousins from the F.C. Hoppe, Louise (Hoppe) Conerus and August Hoppe families met in the City Park in Hastings, Nebraska for the first Hoppe Family Reunion. This began a tradition of meeting on the last Sunday of July in Hastings, a city that was about equally distant from most of the cousins who attended. There were fifty-two people present on that day: Fred, Emma and Marie Hoppe Phillipsburg, KS Olive Hoppe Phillipsburg, KS Sophia and John D. Otis Phillipsburg, KS Fred, Muriel, James and Janet Otis Phillipsburg, KS John Henry, Gretchelle, John James, David, Lynn and Dara Otis Agra, KS Mildred Otis Agra, KS Frank Hoppe Julesburg, CO Edwin, Lois and Glen Hoppe Farnam, NE Mary Ellen, Rex and Bradley Stewart Farnam, NE Gene and Betty Hoppe Farnam, NE Carol Hoppe Hastings, NE Louie, Faith, Gretchen, Billy, Orrin, Lyle and Mary Ellen Hoppe Albion, NE August and Ida Hoppe Plymouth, NE Nora and Otto Grummert Plymouth, NE Orland, Doris, David and Donald Grummert Plymouth, NE Marvin, Maxine, Randy, Nancy and Richard Hoppe Fairbury, NE Sophie Conerus Fairbury, NE Margie, Roger Leon, Steven and Kerry Merritt Omaha, NE Forty years later, in commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the immigration of Friedrich and Sophie Hoppe to America, the Hoppe cousins met in Fairbury, Nebraska on Saturday, July 30, 1994. Over 100 people attended the pot-luck dinner and afternoon program. After the program, many of those present met near the Hoppe homestead at Cub Creek Cemetery where the Hoppe ancestors are buried. Sunday morning more than sixty people attended an informal family church service in the St. Paul’s Church, located next to the cemetery. Copyright © 1998 by Weldon Hoppe |