Obituaries
US Navy Third Class Fireman Edwin C. Hopkins, Brought Home To Swanzey
Killed in 1941 during an attack on Pearl Harbor, his family has fought to bring him to be laid to rest with his parents in Keene.
MANCHESTER, NH — U.S. Navy Third Class Fireman Edwin C. Hopkins of Swanzey was escorted from the Manchester Boston Regional Airport Friday to Keene, where he will be laid to rest with his parents.
Motorcycle officers from Londonderry Police and Manchester Police began the trip to Keene on Brown Avenue, accompanying the American hero to Keene. Hopkins died while defending his country on Dec. 7, 1941, during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Since 2008, his family, including his niece, Faye Hopkins-Boore of DE, has fought to bring him home to Keene, providing him with a final resting place with his parents and family in the Woodland Cemetery.
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On Dec. 31, 1940, at 18, he enlisted in the U. S. Navy and attended basic training at Great Lakes. He went on to attend power plant training in Newport, Rhode Island. Hopkins then spent two months at the Ford Motor Company School in Dearborn, Michigan. On Sept. 11, 1941, he boarded the USS Oklahoma and headed to Pearl Harbor. Less than three months later, Hopkins lost his life along with 428 other crew members after the ship was struck by torpedoes. The family said they are very proud that all their hard work, wishes, and prayers have been finally been honored.
