Richard HOPPE

1939 - 2021

HOPPE, Richard "Coach"

Passed away July 24, 2021. Richard was a 1957 graduate of Fairmont High School and a 1963 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University. He always expressed gratitude to his college alma mater for helping a farm boy get a college degree. Later a master's degree was granted from Miami University. Kettering schools hired him right out of college to teach and coach 7th grade football at Southdale. His first team was undefeated. How easily things come in one's youth! Later, as Head Football Coach at Fairmont High School from 1968-1978, he had a 70% winning record and coached Fairmont's only 10-0 season in 1974. He authored "The Golden Years of Dragon Football" to honor the Fairmont winning tradition. In 1990 he retired from teaching and along with his wife Linda, devoted full time to an antiques business they had established in Waynesville, Ohio. Dick and Linda traveled through Pennsylvania, upstate New York, and New England for 20 years in search of quality antiques to sell and were very proud of what they sold at Crazy Quilt Antiques. Always a student, Coach became a recognized expert in country store scales over a century old. They were works of art. True to form, he served in every aspect of the Waynesville community—the government, the streetscape, the merchant's association, the chamber of commerce, the schools, and the Sauerkraut Festival. He always said, "When you join an organization in Waynesville, the next year they make you president." In 2004 Alter High School needed a defensive coach. An announcement was made to the team and grandson Ronnie raised his hand and said, "My gramps will do it." Thus, began a rewarding 5 years of coaching at once-dreaded rival Alter, culminating in a state championship in 2008. Waynesville High School then called, and he coached defense there for 3 years, ending with a 10-0 season in 2012. He really enjoyed coaching at Waynesville. Dick and Linda wintered in Naples, Florida, for 16 years. For 10 years of that time, he worked with Naples High School Golden Eagles football team in their winter conditioning program teaching a sports vision program he had developed over the course of 7 years. He designed drills to improve peripheral vision to enable athletes to "see the big picture" on the field of play. Colleges are doing a similar cutting-edge program today using lenses and vision machines. Coach Hop, however, did a team approach using drills. The Naples kids loved it. Linda told him there were things left on their bucket list, so she requested that he accompany her on a cruise around the Mediterranean. They did it again the next year adding more ports. The last foreign travel was a trip to the Scandinavian countries and a visit with their friend Arvid in Oslo, Norway. Coach was predeceased by his parents, Harriet and Robert Hoppe, his brothers, Bob and Ken, and a sister, Sharon Taylor. He's survived by his wife of 61 years, Linda Milby Hoppe; daughters, Heidi (Mark) Johnson and Mindy (Rinaldo) DiSalvo; four grandchildren, Jennifer and Kristina Johnson and Gina and Ronnie DiSalvo; also, a brother-in-law Steve Milby. The family wishes to recognize Elmcroft of Centerville and Affinity

Hospice of West Chester for their compassionate care the past three months. At the end, Coach had all the nurses crying. Gathering from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. Saturday, July 31, 2021, at TOBIAS FUNERAL HOME – FAR HILLS CHAPEL, with a Celebration of Coaches Life at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Affinity Hospice of West Chester.

Condolences may be expressed to the family online at

www.tobiasfuneralhome.com