COSBY H. HOPKINSON

Big Lake resident Cosby "Tubby" Hopkinson, 80, died Feb. 28, 2005 of cancer, at Providence Alaska Medical Center.

A viewing will be held from 2-3:00 p.m. today, , at the Valley Funeral Home in Wasilla. A funeral service will follow at 3 p.m. at the same location. Burial will be at the Maplewood Cemetery in Tazewell, Va.

Ms. Hopkinson was born June 6, 1924 in Tazewell, Va., to Charles David and Margaret Peery. She moved to Alaska in 1969, spending time in Anchorage and Wasilla before moving to Big Lake. She assumed the role of mother and grandmother to the children and their families of her sister, Jeanette, who preceded her in death.

She operated the Paint Pot in Wasilla with her husband between 1979 and 1982.

Her loved ones wrote, "She lived life to the fullest and frequently traveled to visit friends and relatives. She was very artistic, and spent much of her time painting, gardening and quilting. She was the ultimate caregiver, dedicated to comforting and caring for other family members during times of illness."

Survivors include her sisters, Nann Ramsey of Yorktown, Va., and Trudy Hall of Palm Harbor, Fla.; brother, Bill Peery of Bradenton, Fla.; sons, James French of Cheyenne, Wyo., and Fred French of Superior, Wyo.; granddaughters, Michelle French, Diane Archuletta, Angela Stockwell, Charity French, ShoShannon Johnson and Shawna Bell; grandson, Matthew French; great-grandson, Nicholaus Gaudin; great-granddaughter, Daven Claire French and her Alaska family of nieces and nephews and their families, Ginger Winfree, Bonnie Byers, Barbara Hart, Patricia Shipley, Dan Morrison and Jim Morrison.

She was preceded in death by her sister, Jeanette Johnston; brother, Dave Peery, and daughter, Caroline Bell.

Arrangements were with Valley Funeral Home & Crematory in Wasilla.