James Hopfensperger

1955 - 2025

James (Jim) Alan Hopfensperger, 70, died at home in Traverse City, MI, on August 20, 2025, after a short fight with pancreatic cancer.
He was born in Kaukauna, Wis., on August 16, 1955, to the late James Francis and Mary Rose (Garvey) Hopfensperger. He was the fourth of 10 children and was raised in Midland, Mich.
Jim received his BA degree from Michigan State University, his MA degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his MFA degree from University of Michigan. His career included serving as Head of the Studio Art Program at Penn State, Chairperson of the Department of Art, Art History, & Design at Michigan State University, and Senior Associate Dean in the College of Fine Arts at Western Michigan University. He retired as Professor Emeritus of Art from WMU.
Jim began dating Jane Maddox, the love of his life, in 1979; they married in 2005 and were together happily since that day. Over their years together, they lived in East Lansing, Mich.; New York City; State College, Pa.; Boston, Mass.; Kalamazoo, Mich.; and Traverse City – some of those cities more than once.
Jim worked in academia his entire career and loved interacting with students, but his passions were working with his hands, particularly creating beautiful wood furniture, and making an impact at non-profit arts organizations. He served as president of the College Art Association and of the National Council of Art Administrators, and spent countless hours as a consultant, site visitor, personal coach, and training workshop leader for the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. Aside from his professional work, Jim loved home remodeling, and beautifully redesigned and renovated several of the homes in which Jim and Jane lived. He had amazing vision and an eye for detail. His generous spirit and positive outlook built a large community of friends and colleagues across the country (and world) that deeply appreciated his personal and professional skills.
Jim is survived, and will be dearly missed, by his wife Jane; and his siblings and their spouses, John Hopfensperger; Joan Most; Jeannine Hopfensperger and Thomas Teal; Jay and Nichole Hopfensperger; Jed Hopfensperger; Matthew Hopfensperger and Sian Kwa; Mary and Brian Rhame; Mona and Thomas Priest; and Marie Hopfensperger and Nacha Rivera-Rios. He is also survived by in-laws William and Rita Maddox; Mark Maddox and Sarah Sutton; Mary Ann and Jeff Dalton; Katherine Maddox; Rebecca Baker; and Jack Maddox and Jan Garvey; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.
No memorial service is planned at this time. A celebration of life may be held at a later date. To donate in Jim's memory, please consider giving to BrickWays in Traverse City, MI (brickways.org) or to Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan (cfsnwmi.org).