Elaine Joan Hopkins

Elaine Joan Hopkins, Mother, Grandmother, and Great- Grandmother passed away peacefully on October 25th, 2021 in her home in Ceres, California.  She was surrounded by all her loved ones.  Elaine was born in Alameda, California on February 24th, 1930 to Mary Perry and Ben Carminati.  Elaine loved being a big sister to her younger brother Ronald Carminati, they were always so close growing up.  Elaine loved playing the accordion from adolescent to her teen years.  She would always rave about how good of an accordion player she was. Her face would also light up when she would talk about her baby blue Ford Thunderbird. 

When Elaine met William Earl Hopkins, they fell madly in love.  It started from a blind date that her friend Katie and William's mother Bernice Dalton (who she didn’t know at the time would soon be her mother-in-law) arranged.  It was at a banquet hall where she used to love to go dancing with her girlfriends.  For William to find her, she wore a white blouse with a big red heart.  Elaine and Bill got married in 1951 and remained in a loving marriage for 54 years until his passing in 2005. She would always say how she was blessed to be married to such a great man that adored her. 

While William worked for Willig Freight Lines as a Truck Driver, Elaine worked for many years at Greyhound Transportation as a Receptionist.  She would always mention how she loved using her typewriter and she was a pretty fast typist as well. When Elaine and William became parents to their two Children, Catherine Mary Hopkins (oldest) and Russell Earl Hopkins (youngest), Elaine decided to be a homemaker while William continued to work. She was a great mother and always gave her children unconditional love. During that time, she loved being highly involved in St John's Catholic Church in San Lorenzo, California.  They lived in San Lorenzo, California for 41 years until in 1992, they moved to Ceres, California to be closer to her children and grandchildren who had moved there 3 years prior. Elaine was so happy to become a grandparent, especially a great-grandparent.  She was so loving and wanted to be involved in everything that they did. Elaine was always there for her children and grandchildren no matter what the circumstances were.

Elaine was very known for being super fancy, she used to love wearing heels until her stroke at age 40 but continued to always have her hair permed bright red, never went out of the house without her pink or red lipstick and would always have her nails grown and polished pink or red. She always wore her jewelry, especially her beautiful cross that she never took off.  She had a contagious smile and laughter that would always brighten up the room.  She was so giving and caring and just had a heart of gold.  Elaine was a beautiful soul and will be deeply missed by everyone's lives she touched.

Elaine is survived by her daughter Catherine Mary Pagni and her Son Russell Earl Hopkins. Her three grandchildren, Erica Nicole Pagni, Katherine Frances Pagni, and Sophia Maria Pagni, and her Great-Grandchildren Brayden Michael Clark, Haley Laine Clark, and Zoe Rae Clark. She was predeceased by her husband William Earl Hopkins, her parents:  Mother Mary Perry, Stepfather John Perry, Father Ben Carminati, and Brother Ronald Carminati.

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