Capt. Gordon R. Hopwood (USN, Ret.), 89, died Saturday, June 11, 2011 in San Diego. He was born June 21, 1921 in Pierre, South Dakota.
He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and held a master's degree from Stanford University. He was a combat veteran of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and in World War II he saw action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf aboard the destroyer USS Bryant, where his ship barely survived a direct kamikaze hit.
Capt. Hopwood was later the captain of the guided missile cruiser USS Reeves and the Chief of Naval Advisory Group in Thailand. During his career, Capt. Hopwood and his family lived in many parts of the United States and overseas. Following retirement, Capt. Hopwood settled in San Diego and, together with his wife and daughter, operated Learning Ladder Preschool in La Mesa for 22 years. Capt. Hopwood is lovingly remembered as a man of strong principles and close family ties.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Jessie Hopwood (Kolar); daughter Ronda Rasmussen (Hopwood); son Gregory Hopwood; granddaughter Renee Anderson (Rasmussen); and great-granddaughter Emma Anderson.
