Obituary of R. Grant Hopley

August 9, 1955 – March 29, 2020 CELEBRATION OF LIFE FOR RICHARD GRANT HOPLEY Our Celebration of Life for Richard “Grant” Hopley will start at 10:30 am (Words of Remembrance by Dee and Jessica, special song, Mass to follow) on Saturday August 29, 2020 at Our Lady of Lourdes St. Laurent Shrine (near Duck Lake, SK), in the Grotto. Grant passed on March 29, 2020. As per Grant’s wishes, this service will be uplifting and joyous. Fr. Dong Doan (Blessed Sacrament – Duck Lake) and Fr. Manh Nguyen (St. Mary’s – Choiceland) are concelebrants. In appreciation of Grant’s love for sports, the family is requesting that attendees wear their favorite team jerseys if they are comfortable doing so. Grant’s family is creating a book of memories and are asking those who wish, to jot down a favorite memory of Grant and insert it in boxes that will be available at the signing tables. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Sandra Schmirler Foundation (neonatal intensive care 18 Burndale Road, Ottawa, ON K1B 3Y5 or Sask Valley Hospital Foundation Box 93, Rosthern, SK S0K 3R0. Bug spray and Covid 19 safety precautions (incl masks and sanitizer) available for service and lunch. We are creating a video for those unable to attend. Watch for release announcement on Facebook in near future. Grant’s family wishes to thank all family and friends that have journeyed with them since Grant’s illness and passing. It has been quite the “adventure” and we will be forever grateful for your love. A full obituary from April 2020 can be viewed also on PANow website or Funk’s Funeral Home (continued below). —————————————————- On Sunday March 29, 2020 Grant took his first breath of Heaven. Born August 9, 1955 in Ottawa, Ontario to Richard (Dick) Hopley and Laura Hopley (nee Lines), Grant had the adventure of growing up all over northern Canada. In 1958 his parents gave him a younger brother, E. Scott, to teach the art of being a boy in the north. The family later moved to Saskatoon, Elbow and finally settled in Swift Current. Grant always admired his younger brother’s accomplishments but was truly happiest for Scott when he married his wonderful wife Susan, and they became parents to Kate and David. While working with Saskatchewan Indian Arts Council, in PANP, late summer of 1981, he met a gal that made him laugh. On Thanksgiving weekend that same year, he proposed to his life-long partner-in-crime Dee Giberson (scaring each sets of parents!!!). The couple were married on August 16, 1982. Seven years later, God sent them an amazing daughter that they named Jessica Dow-Ann after both of her grandmothers. Grant had always dreamt of walking with a little girl along a beach, and now he had one all his own. He stood so much taller than he was, as he and Dee walked her down the aisle to Kevin Maher on their wedding day on October 27, 2018. Sports were very important in Grant’s life. He played many and coached Little League in Swift Current and was a Hockey referee, once requiring a police escort out of a small unnamed town in southern Saskatchewan. As an adult he supported Oilers, Jays and Roughriders, but had such fun following curling, to the point of willingly wearing his beloved “Chicken Hat” and jersey, handing out sealed, candy eggs to children and any adult that asked about the hat. Getting to know the players, their families and other fans, putting smiles on their faces, made him smile. He allowed his wife, Dee, to shine in her silliness at the numerous events they attended together. He was pleased when “his girls” won the Scotties in Moose Jaw this past February. Grant found joy in others happiness, teasing his nephews and nieces and teaching a few of them some little naughty things. He believed in fair play, even outside of sports, and would not stand for unfair treatment of anyone. Although he attended post secondary school three times in his life, he was most happy with himself when he convocated in May 2007 (at age 51) with a bachelor’s degree in social work, something he had wanted since being a teenager. A Catholic funeral mass will be celebrated at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Duck Lake, Saskatchewan when public gatherings are allowed. While Grant loved outdoor flowers, specifically lilies, indoor ones caused him to sneeze. For this reason, the family are gratefully declining flowers. If you wish to make a donation in Grant’s name, please consider Sandra Schmirler Foundation 18 Burndale Road, Ottawa, ON K1B 3Y3; or Saskatchewan Valley Hospital Foundation Inc., Box 93, Rosthern, SK S0K 3R0. Please visit http://www.funksfuneralhome.ca, under obituaries on Grant’s obituary page to enter condolences and words of sympathy for the family. Arrangements are in care of Funk’s Funeral Home, Rosthern, SK (306-232-5245).