Richard "Dick" Hoopes

At Dick’s request, there will be no service due to Covid restrictions.

(Please see full notice below)

RICHARD “DICK” HOOPES passed away peacefully in the tranquil surroundings of his home on December 22, 2020, after a grueling three-year battle with esophageal cancer. He is survived by his beloved wife, Susie (Susan Marburger Hoopes) of Chagrin Falls; dear brother Robert Hoopes of Marion, KS; dear brother-in-law Scott Marburger and niece Isabel Marburger, of Willoughby Hills; and niece Heather Matthews (Jim) of McClellanville, SC. Along with his immediate family, Dick was blessed to have many close friends and cousins whom he absolutely adored. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ed and Mildred Hoopes, of Alliance.

A proud Army veteran and graduate of Kent State University, Dick began his distinguished sales and management career with Metal Goods Division of Alcan Aluminum in Buffalo, NY, transferring later to Cleveland, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Detroit, and back to Cleveland, remaining with the company (now known as Ryerson) for 35 years, in key roles through many of its mergers and acquisitions. Dick was one of the founders of the company-wide sales training program utilizing relationship selling techniques, which he helped pioneer. He was a true survivor in a very tough industry, happily retired in late 2011, and never looked back.

Dick was a lifelong birder and loved hiking and the great outdoors. He kept extensive lists and photos online through eBird, of his almost daily birding hikes throughout northeast Ohio. He loved the close-knit birding community in Geauga County, and made many wonderful friends who are just as passionate about nature as he was. He became an Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, where he led grade school through college students on guided birding and nature walks and volunteered to help in the Environmental Education Center.

Dick and Susie were regulars at almost every jazz venue in northeast Ohio, connecting with their favorite performers, and meeting up with friends they made along the way. As a couple, they treasured their time together through music, great friends, family, lots of rousing conversations, food, and wine.

At Dick’s request, there will be no services due to Covid restrictions. When it is safe to gather, we will celebrate his life well-lived, as he would want, and he will surely be there in spirit. Anyone who would like to honor Dick’s life with a gift may do so by feeding the backyard birds, helping preserve our natural environment, and respecting nature. (St. John Funeral Home of Bainbridge Twp. 440-708-1855)