Rep. Roy "Hoppy" Hopkins is Laid To Rest

Today might mark the start of new beginnings with the inauguration of a new Shreveport mayor and city council, but for many in Louisiana, it also marks an ending. Representative Roy "Hoppy" Hopkins was laid to rest today. Hundreds of mourners packed the United Pentecostal Church in Oil City Tuesday to say goodbye to a man they say was taken much too soon. Hopkins died last Thursday after a long battle with cancer. Legislators and public officials from all over Louisiana gathered to pay their last respects. They say Hopkins was more than a colleague, he was a friend. "Hoppy was a special person," Louisiana State Representative Billy Montgomery, District 9, said," he went about things without a lot of fanfare." Montgomery spoke at Hopkins funeral. He stayed in constant contact with Hopkins throughout his illness and until the very end. Hopkins was remembered for his dedication to Oil City and Northwest Louisiana. Despite a hectic schedule, Governor Kathleen Blanco also attended the service. She remembers Hopkins as a man of tremendous strength. "When he believed in something he really was committed to his issues," Blanco said," but he always looked to the greater good of what was best for Louisiana." As a longtime member of the appropriations committee, legislators say Hopkins played a key role in ensuring Northwest Louisiana projects were properly funded. "He ws one of the most well respected legislators," Louisiana State Representative Ernest Baylor, District 3, said," not only in North Louisiana but also throughout the state." Yet, what they will most most is not Roy "Hoppy" Hopkins the legislator,but, the man; a man they say cherished his family and his faith above all. Hopkins was buried at Lakeview Memorial Gardens in Oil City. The family has asked that all memorials be made to the Louisiana State Oil and Gas Museum; a favorite project of Rep. Hopkins.