Arlon "Hoppy" G. Hopperdietzel

Arlon G. “Hoppy” Hopperdietzel, 90, King, died Wednesday July 2, 2025 at his home at The Wisconsin Veterans Home at King -in King, WI under the care of the wonderful staff at King, his family and ThedaCare Hospice after a very prolonged debilitating fight with Alzheimer’s Disease, congestive heart failure and renal failure.

He was born October 2, 1934, at home in the Town of Halsey, son of the late George and Lillian (Marth) Hopperdietzel. Arlon’s father was a dairy farmer. Arlon met the love of his life, Jean Kubitz, when delivering milk to Jean’s father’s cheese factory, Rib River Cheese, where she worked up until her graduation from high school. When Jean was a sophomore in high school, Arlon asked her to the movies. Her mom said no, but her dad said it was okay. Part way through the movie, they turned around and a few rows back sat her mother and father! Arlon and Jean attended Athens High School together. Arlon was a high school athlete, playing basketball & baseball. Jean was very active in high school as a cheerleader and drum majorette. On April 14, 1956, he married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life, Jean, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Athens. They celebrated 66 years together before Jean’s passing on December 22, 2022.

Arlon was drafted into the Army from 1956-1958. He was stationed at the Presidio of San Francisco Army Base in California after their marriage. After getting out of the Army, he bought his father’s dairy farm and ran it for several years, but to help support them he worked his way up from the assembly line at Marathon Electric to Plant Manager. He briefly worked at Reliance Electric in Athens, GA, until he was persuaded to return to Marathon Electric and start up a new motor plant in West Plains, MO. Eventually they moved to Houston, TX where he worked for Toshiba until his retirement. But you couldn’t take the farmer out of the boy. Arlon bought a beef and hog farm when he moved to West Plains, Missouri. In addition to living in San Francisco, they also lived in the Town of Main, WI; Athens, Georgia; Wausau, WI; West Plains, Missouri; Jersey Village, Texas and Montgomery, Texas on lake Conroe.

Arlon devoted the last 10 years of Jean’s life caring for her as she physically deteriorated due to Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS). They returned to Weston, WI in 2018 to the Renaissance Assisted Living Facility, so Arlon could get some much-needed help caring for Jean. After Jean’s passing, Arlon’s health slowly deteriorated and his memory started to fail from Alzheimer’s Disease. In spite of his declining health and memory, he was still able to keep his sense of humor. In June of 2024, he moved into the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King in King, Wisconsin.

Arlon and Jean knew the importance of living life to its fullest. They enjoyed camping, fishing, swimming, and boating on their pontoon “Jean’s Dream”. They made trips to the Grand Canyon, Wisconsin Dells, Stone Mountain, Disney World, St. Louis Arch, and skiing in New Mexico when their children were little. Arlon retired early in 1992 and they bought an RV. They spent the next 14 years traveling the country in their RV with Jean being the navigator. They drove up to Alaska on the Alaskan Highway, traveled The Top of the World Highway from Alaska to the Yukon for the 100-year Gold Rush Celebration. Other trips were traveling along the east coast from Maryland up to Maine with their daughter and granddaughter, from Ft Meyer, Florida to Dollywood in Tennessee, and to California and along the Mexican border to visit Arlon’s sisters, Emily and Barbara.

Survivors include his son, Clay (Tracy Patrick) Hopperdietzel, Montgomery, Texas; daughter, Lisa (Michael) Pickens, Watertown, WI; grandchildren David, Kristen and Laura Hopperdietzel and Clay’s wife, Tracy’s, children Liam (Sydney) Patrick, Austin (Shaaista) Patrick and their child Elias, Colin (Abbie Parker) and their children Ryan, Emma & Luke; Rachael (Dustan) Brenneman, and Elizabeth Pickens: great grandchildren twins Robbie and Jamie Brenneman and Danny Brenneman; a sister, Barbara Berg-Dolley, Huntington Beach, CA and many nieces and nephews. Besides his parents, Arlon was preceded in death by his loving wife, Jean, 7 sisters - Alice (John) Hambert, Nila (Ernest) Roesler, Elva (Carlos) Krombholz, Muriel (Gilbert) Berghammer (Stanley) Bochanyin, Ardell (Chester) Knab, Rosie (Donald) Williams, and Emily (Ron) Brindle; and 2 brothers – 1 died in infancy & Gordon (Arlene Darkow, Catherine Boening, & Vivian Hessey) Hopperdietzel.

A Funeral Service will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday July 19, 2025 at Memorial Chapel Mausoleum, Restlawn Memorial Park, Wausau. Visitation will be on Saturday, July 19, from 10:00 a.m. until time of services at the Mausoleum Chapel. Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to The Alzheimer’s Association to go toward the research into the treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease.