Ronald Hopson

Early life in Dolgeville

Ronald Clark Hopson was born to David Hopson and Florence Miner Hopson on March 18, 1944 in Little Falls, NY. He grew up the oldest of five on a dairy farm near Dolgeville, NY. Ron was a valuable mentor to his younger siblings as they shared the many chores that come with dairy farming life. He was musically trained, taking piano lessons at an early age and playing baritone horn in high school band, and was active in sports, playing football throughout high school.

Ron developed a life-long interest in math, science, philosophy, history, and world culture,  graduating as valedictorian of the Dolgeville Central School class of 1962.

College

Ron attended his parents’ alma mater, Cornell University, where he roomed with his brother Dan for a year. Ron was part of the lightweight crew team, and a member of the Von Cramm cooperative. Two years of summer jobs provided experience building chicken barns and sharpened the skills of swinging a hammer.

Ron and Jean Wincowski were married in 1965.  Ron completed his doctoral thesis “The Role of Scientific Explanation in a General Theory of Inductive Inference” at the University of Rochester (U of R) in 1968 in the philosophy of math.

Early Career

Ron & Jean moved to Lancaster, PA where he taught at Franklin & Marshall College (F&M).  Their son Justin was born in 1970.

In 1973 Ron married Deborah Steinman. Their son Nathan was born in 1976. Soon after, they moved to Philadelphia where Ron worked as a systems analyst for the Department of Research Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), and Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Philadelphia

Ron and his new partner, Nancy English, shared much of the 1980s together. They built a home in Center City Philadelphia. Ron worked at SmithKline-Beckman from 1980-86. Ron enjoyed the short walk to work, the dancing community, restaurants, and the running paths of Philly.  He was thankful to know and share in the lives Nancy’s children Wendy and Tony.

Ron and his colleagues Bill, Ron, Gary, Mike, John, Danielle, Leo and others built Netweave Corporation and associated businesses. It was a grand adventure that took them around the world. Ron enjoyed the hard work culture, the intellectual rigor, and above all the people who made the business work.

Ron and Carole (Shirah) Klein were married in 1994. They renovated a row house on Midvale Ave and enjoyed the tight-knit neighborhood.  Nathan’s wife Tomomi lived with them for several months while studying at Penn.

Colorado

Ron and Shirah moved to Colorado in the early 2000s to enjoy dancing, skiing, and hiking. Ron was fond of square dancing and enjoyed learning the calling patterns. He was an active member hiking with the Mountain Goats and skiing with the Over-the-Hill Gang.

He was forever a teacher.  Ron enjoyed sharing his passion for the high country, trails, photos and recounting the adventures with others.  Their home was open for family ski weekends and days often started with a stack of warm pancakes.

Ron and his friend Lynda Law rebuilt a condo in Breckenridge and later moved to the Grand Valley. They continued to enjoy the ancient rocks, sunshine, and community of Fruita until his final days.

Ron passed away on April 4, 2022 after years of battling cancer and lymphoma. He is survived by his sons Nathan and Justin, siblings Dan, Jeff, and Marcia. Ron is preceded in death by his parents and his brother Bill.