GREENE: Communities pay respect to fallen Airman Joshua Hopper

By Editor | October 12, 2023 |

JOSHUA HOPPER

By Carmen Ensinger

Living in a small community can have its disadvantages, but when tragedy strikes, there is nothing like seeing a small community come together like it did on Oct. 6 when community members lined the streets to pay their respects to Airman First Class Joshua M. Hopper.
Hopper, 23, was a 2018 graduate of North Greene High School where, at an imposing 6’5” he and his twin brother, Jonah, were basketball standouts and led the Spartans to a 23-6 season their senior year.
After high school, he enrolled in MacMurray College where he also played basketball. He joined the Air Force two years ago and died on Sept. 25 at Misawa Air Force Base in Misawa, Japan where he was stationed.
Airsman Hires Funeral Home in White Hall was in charge of arrangements and alerted Jersey County Sheriff’s Department that they would be coming through Jersey County around 5:45 p.m. on Friday.
Word spread on Facebook about the Airman’s arrival and Jersey residents lined Main Street to pay their respect to the Airman.
Airsman Hires Funeral Director Danny Powell described the scene as he transported Hopper from the St. Louis airport back to White Hall.
“When we came through Jerseyville, there were a couple hundred people lined up along the street and it was the same way when we came through Carrollton,” Powell said. “When we got to White Hall, it was simply amazing how many people had gathered to pay their respects to this young man.”
Powell said it was something he will never forget.
“I have been in the funeral business for 20 years and I don’t remember seeing anything like this before,” he said. “To drive the hearse with a loved one down through Main Street with hundreds of people standing on both sides with American flags flying- it was truly a touching experience. We are supposed to be the rock in this situation, but it was so hard not to get emotional in a situation such as this.”
This post on Facebook pretty much says it all.
“Small town America was at its finest hour last night as we witnessed the homecoming of Josh Hopper. To watch the football boys eagerly hold the flags to honor Josh as he went by, to see the coaches giving hugs to all the kids will never be forgotten. To see some of the kids crying uncontrollably in the arms of our principal did not go unnoticed. To those who saluted as he went by slowly down Main Street we salute you. To those who escorted Josh, thank you. To the hundreds of cars and trucks behind the procession, well, life kinda slowed down for a few minutes and life was put back into perspective. You could have heard a pin drop all along Main Street last night but the prayers being offered up were loud.”
There were many local agencies involved in the escort including the Jerseyville Police Department, Jersey County Sheriff’s Department, Greene County Sheriff’s Department, Carrollton Police Department, White Hall Police Department, Roodhouse Police Department, Carrollton Fire Department, White Hall Fire Department, Roodhouse Fire Department, local fire units and first responders along with North Greene Jr./Sr. High.
In addition to his twin brother, Jonah, Hopper is survived by his parents, Fred and Sarah Hopper, of White Hall and another brother, Jacob, of Monmouth.
Funeral services were held Tuesday at Calvary Baptist Church in White Hall with burial in White Hall Cemetery with full military honors. Memorials may be made to North Greene High School basketball team or Greene County Veterans Assistance Program.