James E. Hopper

July 16, 1942 - January 21, 2017

James E. Hopper, age 74, passed away on January 21, 2017. Preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and Victoria Hopper. He is survived by his wife, Anita; daughter, Julie Hopper (Gerid Ollison), brother, Craig Hopper and brother-in-law, Sandy (Jan) Klein. Jim graduated from Univ. of Wisconsin with B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. He conducted postdoctoral studies at Univ. of Illinois and Univ. of Washington. Jim was a Professor of Bio. Chemistry for 27 years at Penn. State Univ. College of Medicine prior to moving to Columbus in 2006 to joint faculty appointments at Ohio State Univ. in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics. Jim was a dedicated research scientist and professor as well as a world-class gymnast and gymnastics coach. He had many hobbies, including: glass blowing, woodworking, stone work, gardening, snorkeling, photography, cooking, and reading. Most importantly, Jim was an amazing husband and father and a dedicated mentor and teacher to his students. A memorial service will be held at 12:00pm on Sunday, January 29 at the Hopper residence. In lieu of flowers, contributions specified for undergraduate research scholarships may be made to the Department of Molecular Genetics at The Ohio State University in Jim Hopper’s memory https://www.giveto.osu.edu/makeagift/?fund=315774