Helen Christina “Kris” Hoppe, 94, of Great Falls, passed away on Tuesday, November 26, 2024. Kris was born on January 19, 1930, in Livingston, Montana to Joseph “Ned” and Helen Jackson. She grew up on the family cattle ranch in Tom Miner Basin. She attended the one room country school, 1st to 8th grade.
Kris graduated from Loyola Sacred Heart Academy in Missoula. Her first job was as a cook for the crew cutting down trees for the Hungry Horse Reservoir Dam.
She moved to Great Falls to work as a nurse at Columbus Hospital where she met Frank “Jack” Hoppe who was a patient there. They were married on September 17, 1950, at St. Ann’s Cathedral. They were blessed with 8 “Little Darlings,” four boys and four girls.
She is survived by her daughters, Mary Lou Cox of Bell, FL, Elizabeth Botzet and Alice Hoppe-Smith, both of Great Falls, and Ruth Gifford of Sherman, TX; sons, Robert and Michael Hoppe, both of Great Falls; nine grandchildren; and thirteen great-grandchildren.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the O'Connor Funeral Home website.
