Stephen Hopkins Sr., Catholic deacon and Korean War POW, dies at 89
His Catholic faith was put to the test early when he was captured during the Korean War and spent nearly three years as a prisoner of war.
Stephen Hopkins Sr., 89, of Philadelphia, a retired permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, a proud and active veteran, and a prisoner of war during the Korean War, died Monday, Feb. 15, of sepsis at home.
Mr. Hopkins was spiritual and patriotic all his life, and his Catholic faith was put to the test early when he was captured during the Korean War and spent nearly three years as a POW. It was then, his family said, that Mr. Hopkins found strength to endure by repeating the Angel of God and Hail Mary prayers.
After his return to Philadelphia, Mr. Hopkins embraced church life and was in the first class of Black deacons ordained by the archdiocese. He served as a mentor, friend, and religious guide in two parishes for more than 35 years and slowed down only when he needed a walker to make his rounds.
He especially liked to marvel that he shared his Sept. 8 birthday with the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“He loved to go to church even when he was a boy,” said Gloria Hopkins, his wife of 66 years. “God was working in him.”
Mr. Hopkins also served as chaplain of the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial. A familiar figure at the memorial at Penn’s Landing, he always looked sharp in his uniform and medals, and he led the prayers at many Veterans Day and Memorial Day ceremonies.
He was featured in Yvonne Latty’s book, We Were There: Voices of African American Veterans, From World War II to the War in Iraq.
Occasionally, Mr. Hopkins told his wife of the horrors he had witnessed during combat, how he had been captured in an ambush, and how his faith and prayers helped him survive.
“He said his faith in God and saying those prayers saved his life,” she said.
“Never once did he complain,” said Bill Kelly, president of the board of the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial. “Based on his religion, he forgave everyone, even those who had held him. And it was terrible. He forgave to the greatest extent of anyone I know.”
Mr. Hopkins was born Sept. 8, 1931, in East Germantown. Drawn to religion and community service as a youngster, he liked to hang around the church and run errands for the nuns. After graduating from Benjamin Franklin High School, he joined the Army and rose to the rank of corporal.
He met Gloria Marshall after the war at a neighborhood store. They were married at Our Lady of the Holy Souls in 1954, and together raised four children: Stephen Jr., Gwendolyn, Gregory, and Omar. The couple liked to relax by playing Jenga and watching their fish navigate the aquariums.
“He loved the Lord and was a family man,” said his son Stephen. “He was a loving man who took care of us.”
Mr. Hopkins worked for years at Bell Telephone Co., now Verizon, as a telephone installer, and he received a meritorious service award from the company in 1973 for alerting officials to a customer he encountered who had fallen ill. He also recently received a citation from Philadelphia City Council for his years of community service.
He studied for three years and was ordained as one of seven Black deacons at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul on Nov. 7, 1982, by Cardinal John Krol, then archbishop of Philadelphia. He went on to minister parishioners at St. Benedict and St. Athanasius, visiting the sick, comforting the distressed, and speaking to groups on behalf of the church.
“He was always doing good things for people,” his wife said. “He would drop everything to go help others.”
“He would do anything for anybody,” Kelly said.
In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Hopkins is survived by nine grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, one great-great-grandson, a brother, and other relatives. A sister and five grandchildren died earlier.
A service was held Feb. 26.