Obituary of Deborah Hopkins

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun And find your shoulder to light on, To bring you luck, happiness and riches Today, tomorrow and beyond. ~Irish Blessing Deborah “Debby” Hopkins (nee Buchner), passed away peacefully at home on December 4, 2015 after a short, fiercely fought battle with lung cancer. Debby was 49 years young and has left us broken hearted, but grateful for having had blessed our lives. She was our daughter, sister, wife, niece, step mom, friend, ally, buddy and supporter. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, December 9th at 10:30 am at Holy Family Church, 28 Brookline Avenue, Nutley, NJ. Friends and relatives may visit on Tuesday, December 8th from 7-9 pm at the Norman Dean Home For Services, 16 Righter Ave, Denville. In lieu of flowers, kindly consider donations in her memory to LUNGevity Foundation, 228 South Wabash Avenue, Suite 700, Chicago, IL 60604. Ph: 312-464-0716, http://www.lungevity.org/ Debby grew up in Nutley, NJ attending Holy Family Grammar School and later graduating Nutley High School in 1984. As a young girl, Debby always pushed the envelope in her quest for fun and adventure but always knew not to overdo it. Debby met her soul mate, David Hopkins in 1994 and married in 1997 setting up a cozy home in Denville, NJ. Debby worked as the office manager at Condor Machine in Parsippany, NJ and was truly loved and respected by her employer, co-workers and clients. Empathy, generosity and kindness for all were at Debby’s core. You could always count on Debby to remember and acknowledge a birthday, anniversary, graduation etc. with a card or gift but usually both! Of course, the card always had to include a special, personal heart felt note. Whenever Debby wrote, it was truly from her heart. Debby had a zest for life and started every day with an enthusiasm like no other. She enjoyed the outdoors, exercising, shopping trips, and loved animals (Her cats, Cosmo and Rusty, are already missing her…). Debby and her husband, Dave, enjoyed camping trips, the Jersey shore (especially day trips to Sandy Hook), barbecues, parties etc. but at the end of the day it didn’t matter where they were or what they were doing, as long as it was quality time spent with family and close friends. All of us touched by Debbie’s amazing spirit have been truly spoiled. May we all learn from Debby in that you should always be the best that you can be in mind and spirit, live your life to its fullest potential, and treat others as you would like to be treated. Predeceased by her father, Lawrence Buchner, Debby is survived by her adoring mother, Diane Buchner, brother Lawrence (Larry) Buchner, loving and dedicated husband, David L. Hopkins Jr., her step children, David Hopkins III and Jennifer (Jen) Lloyd, Aunt Rosalinda (Linda) Buchner Graziano and her husband James (Jimmy), her late Uncle John (Johnny) Buchner and his wife Beverly, Uncle Robert (Bobby) Buchner and his wife Kathie, and many loving cousins, relatives, friends, fans and acquaintances. I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free. ~Charles Dickens