Ekkehart Wilfried Hoppe

Hoppe, Ekkehart Wilfried passed peacefully on Saturday, May 25th, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Doris, his daughter, Anja (Ralf) Fischer, son, Christian (Tanja) Hoppe, son, Tobias (Chandra) Hoppe, grandchildren, Jana Fischer, Julia Fischer, Frederic Hoppe, Josie Hoppe, Harper Hoppe, sister, Brigitte Gampp, brother, Hartmut Hoppe; and a host of other family members and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Gerhard Hoppe, mother, Hildegard hoppe, sister, Marianne Noll, brother, Peter Hoppe.

What can I say on behalf of the most interesting man I have ever known. Everyone who met you would certainly agree, to the extent that you were nicknamed ‘dos Ekkes’. While you never parallel parked a train or had sharks dedicate a week to you, the countless life stories you have shared, more than qualified you for the title. Your preferred libation was also not Dos Equis, but rather the fine bite of a smooth blended scotch. From Famous Grouse ingested to fight off a life-threatening infection from an Ocelot bite to Johnnie Walker Blue enjoyed while watching Germany win the World Cup with great friends. Even your lifelong career in the veneer industry and subsequent love of wood was interesting. Countless people will never know that you handpicked the veneers that decorate their favorite stores, luxury cars, yachts and planes (including ‘Big Bird’- and I’m not talking about Sesame Street).

You were the most well-travelled person, but never got jet lag. As a result of your work, travels and adventurous spirit, we lived on four continents, gaining amazing life lessons that few others will ever experience. You could tell stories about your experiences, history and life for hours (and many times did). We would always poke fun at your urge to tell everyone who would listen, our life stories. Only later did we realize how great they were, and how much we learned- and what we wouldn’t give to hear one now.

I do have to point out some flaws, while even these were a source of amusement when coupled with your strong accent- you could have a pretty prolific temper, especially noticeable in road rage. If someone did not have your approval on the road, they might have been followed home, gotten a German gesture signifying ‘roof’ damage, been called some choice words such as “Superaffe” and in very rare cases someone might even have been challenged to step out of the car (until it was clear they were bigger than you thought). If someone pulled any redneck antics then you would surely call them a ‘hilly Billy’, and someone would most certainly never want to be the odd man out, or ‘Black Peter’- contrary to your beliefs, not everything translated out of German.

You spoke many other languages, and always managed to mix them together, especially when your pepper head acted up. Being kicked out of the Belgium embassy in the Congo for urinating in the rose bushes, threatening to personally downgrade the Quattro Rodas in Brazil by climbing on a ladder and attempting to remove one of its 5 stars, yelling at Axl Rose to quit smoking next to your table of clients you were entertaining, chastising Charles Barkley for having the audacity to cut in front of you at an airport kiosk, are just a few heated examples that come to mind. On the flip side there were some truly amazing moments as well such as, having a tropical disease name after you that has yet to be seen again, wrecking a scooter in Isla Mujeres while trying to pop a wheelie to show off to friends, meeting and actually being taught to play the organ by Albert Schweizer, escaping the grasp of communism at night as a little boy with your family by train from East Germany, the list of funny, strange and even cringeworthy instances is too long to list.

You weren’t necessarily the life of the party, but the party always ended with you humbly in the center of attention. You were always proper and had extreme etiquette, you ironed every article of clothing down to your underwear and socks- you were a product of your military education. You often talked proudly, respectfully and admirably of both your time serving as an officer in the German army supporting the US at ‘Checkpoint Charlie’ and of the long line of Prussian generals you stemmed from. You taught your sons to always have utmost respect for women, and be gentlemen at all costs- you also taught your daughter to expect the same. You made sure to raise your kids knowing right from wrong. You once told us all a story of how you saw a toy train set in a shop window and only wanted that for Christmas, but on Christmas Eve you were so upset that you did not get it, you then looked at your mom who was crying in utter disappointment because they were too poor to get it for you. As a result, you could never refuse any of our wishes growing up. You quickly won the hearts of all your grandchildren because deep down you were still a kid yourself- you lit up every time you saw them, even until the bitter end when you no longer knew their names. All who met you, say you were so interesting, fun and/or charming. We will miss your jokes, and the explanation that came with every one as though you felt it was needed. With all of our love, we will miss you dearly, and wish you a safe journey to your next destination- may it be accompanied by your beloved classical music playing along the way. Rest easy and see you down range.

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