The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-04-30
PASSING or JUDGE [. LeGRAND
HOPKINS

grieved upon learning that one of its
pioneers, who for nearly thirty years
had been as a tower of strength for
everything that was good and virtuous,
had passed to the great beyond. His
death was caused by heart disease,
angina pect0ris, from which the Judge
had been a sufferer for many years.
He rose as usual and went out to at
tend to small chores about the barn
His wife noticed him pass beneath ner
window driving marauding rooster
/ from the yard; she called to him i5l
warning fearing this exertion would
affect his heart and expected that he
would stop at the kitchen door to re-
ceive his regular medicine; but he
went instead straight back to the barn
and dropped dead as soon as he got
inside the door. The faithful horss
whinnied pitifully as Mrs. Hopkins
came to the> door to find the earthly
remains of her husband in the corner.
She saw at once that his end had
come and cried until help came and
| loving hands removed the body to the
house. The undertakers were imme-
diately called and the body will even
tually be laid to rest in Danbury,
Conn.
He leaves behind to mourn his death
a wife, Mary r. Hopkins, and two
children by his first marriage. His
| living wife though many years his
junior has been in poor health for
some time and we trust that God
will give her strength to bear this
extra burden so that she may recover
her health completely. The bereaved
son is Seargent Stephen Hopkins, III
charge of the state armory at Dan
bury, Conn, and the daughter is Mrs.
Frank T. Benedict, of Wooster Heights
near Danbury Besides these are the
scores of friends, both white and
black who will feel the loss of a true
friend and loyal citizen for we all
loved him and will miss him more
and more as days pass by.
L. LeGrand Hopkins was born in
New Fairfield, Conn, in 1912, and was
one of the foremost men in the affairs
of his town and of the town of Dan
bury, now great city. He served as
warden of the borough of Danbury.
and when it became city he became
its first mayor. He afterwards served
twelve years there as probate judge.
We wish that space would permit
us to write more about the full life
of this grand old man. who was always
to be found with the few in the fore
most ranks of progress. Detesting
hypocricy and all forms of knavery,
and absolutely fearless in performing
his duty as God revealed his duty to
| him.
At the age of sixteen we find him
| in a hospital in Liverpool recovering
| from injuries received when a ship
burned at sea. He travelled extensive
ly while a youth but found his best
work in the place of his birth and
where ever he went was loved and
respected. He had been coming to
Belleview winters for over thirty
years and permanently resided here
for fourteen years. He suffered severe
financial loss in the freeze of 1894
4 Of a
years he has served faithfully in near
ly every office in town, and at the
/ time of his death was secretary-treas-
urer of the library association, town
collector, and trusted officer of the
Belleview Civic League. He was, or
/ had been, member of nearly all fra
ternities, chief of which was the
| Free Mason and the Progressive
Lodge, /. o. o. F. of Danbury. His
religious sentiments were very pro-
gressive and he expected to meet his
4 loved ones in the great beyond.
| $50 live, that when thy summons
comes to join the innumerable cara
van LndC moves 10 IndI mysterious
realm where each must take his sta
ton in the silent halls of death, thou
go not like the quarry slave at night,
scourged to his dungeon. but sustain
ed and soothed by an unfaltering trust,
approach thy grave like one who
wraps the drapery of his couch about
him and lies down to pleasant
dreams" L. LeGrand Hopkins, you
are gone. but you will never be for
| gotten in Belleview. Peace to your
ashes. .
4 ONE OF HIS FRIENDS AND A
BROTHER.