Melvin Riley Hoopes

Melvin Riley Hoopes, loving husband, father, and grandfather passed away in Salt Lake City on Aug. 17, 2012 at the age of 91. Funeral services were held on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2012 in the Freedom LDS Chapel. Burial was in the Freedom Cemetery with military honors. Melvin was born in Afton on Aug. 16, 1921 to Riley William Hoopes and Della Grace Rigby. Melvin had eight siblings: Hazel, Maybell, Vearl, Lenore, Frank, Lillian, Lowell, and Jual. Melvin spent his youth in Fairview. He was raised on the family ranch and knew the meaning of hard work. He enjoyed the gift of work and being productive throughout his life. After high school graduation Mel went to work for Reuel Call building Call Air Number One the first of the Call airplanes. With his experience at Call Air, he went to work for Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in Los Angeles. He continued working at Lockheed after Dec. 7, 1941 building the Ventura bomber for England. A few months later he and his friends enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He was sent to Scott Field, Ill., where he learned electronics, radio design, and repair for B-24 bombers and other aircraft radio. He was later transferred to Tallahassee, Fla., and then Liverpool, England. He spent the remainder of the war in England supervising a group of 25 men on the repair and production of radios for the Army Air Corps. Mel enrolled in the University of Utah studying Zoology in 1946. That fall, at the age of 25, he met his future wife Ardell Patricia Creery at a church Halloween dance. They began dating and were engaged on Feb. 14, 1947. On May 2, 1947, Ardell and Mel were married in the Logan LDS Temple. That day was the beginning of wonderful marriage and friendship that spanned 54 years. Melvin and Ardell were the parents of four children Bonnie was born in 1949, Stephen born in 1953, Allen born in 1959, and Brad born in 1961. Melvin entered a drawing to homestead land in Jerome, Idaho. The land had been the site of a Japanese internment camp and the United States Government was allowing veterans to homestead the lands. In April of 1950, Ardell and Mel moved to Hunt, Idaho and began homesteading 80 acres of land which was traded as a part of the purchase of Silver Star Telephone Company from Sterling Weber. After the purchase of Silver Star Telephone in June of 1956, the family moved to Freedom. Throughout the rest of his career, Mel worked on repairing, constructing, and expanding the network and customer base of Silver Star Telephone Company. Mel worked full time in the company until 1993 and served as President until 1997. Melvin's first wife, Ardell, passed away in 2001 after an extended battle with sinus cancer. After the death of Ardell, Melvin married Melba Dutson Bennett from Los Angeles. Melba was a friend of the family whose husband, Max Bennett, had previously passed away. Max Bennett was a friend that Mel met in the army. Mel and Melba built a home in Hurricane, Utah. They enjoyed their time together in their final years visiting friends and family in Utah and Wyoming. They also enjoyed maintaining their home and yard and doing temple work together. Melvin was active in the LDS church. He taught Sunday school, served in young mens, served in the Elder's Quorum Presidency, finance clerk, home teacher, and stake missionary. Melvin was involved in community activities such as Community Concert, Lions Club, and helped contribute time and energy to many worthwhile causes in Star Valley such as community parks, Boys Scouts, and church service. Melvin loved music and sang in the USO in the military and at many funerals and weddings throughout his life. His laugh, his songs, and his caring spirit set him apart from others. His wife Ardell Creery Hoopes, son Stephen R. Hoopes, father William Riley Hoopes, mother Della Grace Rigby, sister Hazel Hoopes Chadwick, sister Maybell Hoopes Burton, brother Vearl Hoopes, sister Lillian Hoopes Eppich, sister Jual Hoopes McIntosh all preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife Melba Bennett Hoopes, a sister Lenore Hoopes Clark (Bedford), and brothers Frank Hoopes (Afton) and Lowell Hoopes (St. George), a daughter Bonnie E. Hoopes (Sandy), two sons Allen R. Hoopes (Bedford), and Brad Hoopes (Draper), and seven grandchildren. In lieu of flowers please donate to the Star Valley Wyoming Temple Fund by making the donation payable to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with a notation that the donation is for the Star Valley Temple and sending donations to: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple Department, 50 East North Temple, Salt lake City, UT 84150.