Hildegard E. Hoppe

Hildegard Hoppe, 93, of Middle Grove, Missouri, passed away at her home on Saturday, February 12, 2022.

She is survived by her husband of seventy years, Klaus Wilhelm Hoppe, daughter Ann Hoppe Petrov, son Ralph (Sarah) Hoppe; four grandchildren: Andrew (Allison) Hoppe of Highland Park, Illinois, Krista (Corey) Lawson of Kirkwood, Missouri, Ethan (Callie) Hoppe of Loveland, Colorado, and Annalie Hoppe of Columbia, Missouri, as well as five great-grand­children: Dylan and Cameron Hoppe, Kai, Christopher, and Brooks Lawson. She is also survived by three sisters: Ilse (Irving) Krieger, Hermine (Richard) Roßbach, and Maria-Louise (Siegfried) Michaelis; and sisters-in-law Ingrid (Gerhard) Witthöft, Mariech­en (Otto) Witthöft, Erika (Adolph) Witthöft, and Christa (Hoppe) Paasch, as well as numer­ous nieces and nephews, all residing in Germany.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister who died in infancy; brothers Karl-Heinz, Gerhard, Günter, Otto, and Adolf; sister-in-law Edda (Günter) Witthöft; brother-in-law Harry (Christa) Paasch, and son-in-law Stan Petrov.

Hildegard Witthöft Hoppe was born to Heinrich and Louise Witthöft on September 8, 1928 in Heiligenthal, Germany, one of ten siblings. She was married to her beloved Klaus in a civil ceremony on September 13,1951, followed by a church wedding on October 5, 1951.

She left Germany to join Klaus in the United States, emigrating in April of 1952. They lived on a farm in Elgin, Illinois. She was a hard worker and an active farm wife for decades, rais­ing hogs and growing corn on their eighty acres, before moving to Middle Grove, Missouri in 1993.

Hildegard helped support her large family in Heiligenthal during and after World War II. She was known for her expert sewing abilities – having been a professional seamstress in Germany – and for her German cooking and delicious baked goods (oh those tortes!). She was steadfastly devoted to her family, with great love for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her sweet smile and gentle German accent will be remembered by all who knew her. She will be greatly missed.

A private family gathering in her honor will be held at a future date.