February 15, 2021
Janet Ellen Felix Hopkins, 81, died of a heart attack February 10, 2021, in Newport Beach, California. She was born August 11, 1939, in Sheridan, Wyoming, to Joe D. and Josephine Felix. Jan was raised in Sheridan, Story, Gillette, and Buffalo, Wyoming, graduating from Johnson County High School in Buffalo in 1956. She attended the University of Wyoming and later completed her bachelor’s degree at Cal State Fullerton. She earned master’s degrees from Cal State Long Beach and from Chapman University. In 1956 Jan married David L. Hopkins of Story, Wyoming. They lived in Texas, Connecticut, Colorado, and Wyoming before moving to southern California in 1964. They were later divorced. Jan taught special education students in the Garden Grove Unified School District, Garden Grove, California, for many years. She was an active member of the Garden Grove Education Association, the California Teachers Association, and the National Education Association, working especially in the areas of LGBTQ and civil rights. An avid reader, crossword puzzle solver, and knitter, Jan was also a lover of dogs and cats. She rarely missed Jeopardy and also enjoyed bowling. While living in Thailand for a year, she learned the Thai language and taught English to Thai students. Jan is survived by four children: Sheri Hopkins Oberbeck of Huntington Beach, California, Joe Hopkins (Valerie) of Novato, California, Carol Hopkins Abdallah of Honolulu, Hawaii, and Leon Hopkins (Zulma) of Canoga Park, California. She also leaves five grandchildren: Adam Oberbeck, Asante and Rashad Abdallah, David Hopkins, and Niki Champie, one great- grandchild Tyler Champie, and one sister Sara Felix Neyer (Tom) of Gillette, Wyoming. She was preceded in death by her parents. Donations in her memory may be directed to the ASPCA or the Humane Society of the U.S. No services will be held due to the Covid-19 pandemic.