Armetta Hopson; nurse, loving family woman

WHEN ARMETTA Stockton was a student at Barrett Middle School, a favorite teacher told her she was going to be something someday.

Truer words were never spoken. Armetta might never have made the headlines, but she became a devoted nurse in a challenging institution and, most important, a loving and much-loved mother and grandmother.

"She was just great," said her granddaughter, Sharon L. Hopson. "To know her was to love her. She was very upbeat and generous. Her spirit touched so many people."

Armetta Hopson, a licensed-practical nurse at the Ancora Psychiatric Hospital in Winslow Township, N.J., for 27 years, an active participant in the civil-rights struggles and an amateur singer who liked to belt out jazz songs, died Jan. 15 of respiratory failure. She was 88 and lived in Moorestown, N.J.

She retired from Ancora in 1981. After her death, her family received many messages from former staff at the hospital extolling her dedication and her easy relationship with everybody.

An excellent cook, one of her duties at Ancora was to teach cooking to patients who were about to transition back into society.

When she was hospitalized, the nurses would gather in her room to listen to her stories about her own nursing experiences. "She loved to talk," her granddaughter said.

Armetta was born in Philadelphia to George and Mae Stockton. In 1939, she married Arthur G. Hopson Jr., a general foreman at the old Frankford Arsenal who died in 2009 at 89.

She participated in a number of civil-rights demonstrations in Philadelphia, including the Million Woman March in 1997. She marched with her daughter, Lynn, her daughter-in-law, Carmen, and her granddaughter, Sharon.

"She taught us to stand up for our rights and reminded us never to forget the struggles of our ancestors," Sharon said. "She truly was an inspiration and left us a wonderful legacy of a life well-lived."

Sharon can attest to her grandmother's generosity and love for family. When Sharon was a Brownie Scout, she had a quota of Girl Scout cookies to sell. Grandmom bought them all.

Armetta loved jazz, especially the singers Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine, and had an extensive record collection.

She loved to sing jazz songs. Sharon recalled her grandfather's retirement party in a hotel in Mount Laurel where her grandmother sang and she and her grandfather tap-danced in a burst of exuberance.

Armetta was known for her hats. She had a different hat for every occasion and they became something of a signature for her.

She was an active member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Moorestown where she served on the Altar Guild. She also enjoyed playing bridge and reading.

"She was something else," Sharon said. "I was blessed to have had her."

She also is survived by a son, Arthur G. Hopson III; a daughter, Lynn A. Heath; a sister, Mary S. Tindley; five other grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. She was also predeceased by another son, Ronald W. Hopson.

Services: Private services were held Jan. 20 at Trinity Episcopal Church.