I was so sadden to hear of his passing. I knew Ron thru the VA,I was the nurse who drew his labs when he came into the west clinic. I just loved talking to him and especially hearing his jokes. My favorite was ,”I like dating homeless women,you can drop them off anywhere after a date”. He was grumpy to me at first,typical Marine,but we got along just great and I was the only one he liked drawing his blood. When I retired I would bump into him at C’s,he always had a smile and glimmer in his eyes that I will never forget. That statement ” when a person comes into your life and leaves a mark forever” was Ron. RIP and thank you for your service,God got a god one.
Oh, I am so sad to read that Ron is not around anymore. He was such a gem! The stories and jokes he told were the best. He was a great neighbor and I am so lucky to have known him.
Uncle Ron taught me how to wash a pan. I was about 10 years old I know that might sound trite to some but apparently when I would wash them they didn’t turn out very clean. So uncle Ron was visiting our house in Crystal Lake Illinois and took the time to show me how to wash a pan. I know this might seem like a very small memory but it made a huge impact on me those few minutes that he took to show me how to wash a pan It is because of his patience and observation That my pots and pans are very clean !
Ron was a very good friend of my cousin Jack & was a friend of our family since I was a little girl. He always had time for us & came to every single family gathering that I can remember. He truly was one of the good guys! Always a jokester but so sweet. He really cared about people. I will miss him & I know my family will. RIP Ron!! <3
This site wasn’t up first time I looked but is it ever too late to talk about Ron Hoppmann? It is not. He was usually my seat mate, corner positions, at Meadowood Writer’s group and he got me in trouble. Like a little kid, he really did pass notes. Hard to exaggerate how much I admired his stories. (And his perfect handwriting.) The group has a book out just today of our 2020 output and it’s dedicated to Ron. We stood around talking about how he ended stories like no other. His lively idiosyncratic mind, totally unique. A sense of timing and humor that just lit up his work. Plus I agree with another comment: the glimmer in those eyes. I’m so sorry he’s not among us any longer. He was a force.
The year was 2010. Monday morning. I walked into the Meadowood Neighborhood Center and met a gent sitting at a table near the entrance, obviously with business on his mind. I went to the back of the building and started setting up tables and chairs for the regular meeting of the Meadowood Life Stories writers group. Pretty soon the gent from up front came back to our ad hoc meeting area and asked: “What’s the event?” I explained. He said: “Well I do some writing myself. I’ve done features for the East Side newspaper and some other stuff as well.”
He introduced himself: “I’m Ron Hoppmann. Maybe I could sit in on your meeting for awhile.”
I said we’d be pleased if he did that. The ‘awhile’ lasted ten-years-plus, and Ron became the chair of the entertainment committee. Monday mornings we dozen or so scribes got together and shared our life experiences. Ron was always the one in charge of making us laugh. Along the way he won the Madison Magazine memoir writing contest and had his A Humble Jumble of Stories collection published as part of the prize. Later he favored us with a volume titled Tales from the Diner.
Ron was a master at weaving a tale that puts the reader in scene with the narrator, dangles the carrot in the near distance, then ends with a kind of rim-shot epiphany. His writing was an extension of his personality, always interesting, always engaging.
We will miss Ronald Hoppmann terribly, as a fellow writer and as a person. But we will remember the pleasure of his company always.
Julie Audetat
Posted on June 15, 2020 at 8:47 amI was so sadden to hear of his passing. I knew Ron thru the VA,I was the nurse who drew his labs when he came into the west clinic. I just loved talking to him and especially hearing his jokes. My favorite was ,”I like dating homeless women,you can drop them off anywhere after a date”. He was grumpy to me at first,typical Marine,but we got along just great and I was the only one he liked drawing his blood. When I retired I would bump into him at C’s,he always had a smile and glimmer in his eyes that I will never forget. That statement ” when a person comes into your life and leaves a mark forever” was Ron. RIP and thank you for your service,God got a god one.
Kathy Cruice
Posted on June 16, 2020 at 10:34 amWe will miss your humor, insight, and delightful stories at our Middleton Seniors Writing Group. Thank you for sharing your words.
Cindia Cameron
Posted on July 5, 2020 at 4:12 pmOh, I am so sad to read that Ron is not around anymore. He was such a gem! The stories and jokes he told were the best. He was a great neighbor and I am so lucky to have known him.
Diane
Posted on July 15, 2020 at 11:29 amUncle Ron taught me how to wash a pan. I was about 10 years old I know that might sound trite to some but apparently when I would wash them they didn’t turn out very clean. So uncle Ron was visiting our house in Crystal Lake Illinois and took the time to show me how to wash a pan. I know this might seem like a very small memory but it made a huge impact on me those few minutes that he took to show me how to wash a pan It is because of his patience and observation That my pots and pans are very clean !
Dixie Lee Olson
Posted on August 29, 2020 at 8:01 pmRon was a very good friend of my cousin Jack & was a friend of our family since I was a little girl. He always had time for us & came to every single family gathering that I can remember. He truly was one of the good guys! Always a jokester but so sweet. He really cared about people. I will miss him & I know my family will. RIP Ron!! <3
Marnie Schulenburg
Posted on March 9, 2021 at 6:54 pmThis site wasn’t up first time I looked but is it ever too late to talk about Ron Hoppmann? It is not. He was usually my seat mate, corner positions, at Meadowood Writer’s group and he got me in trouble. Like a little kid, he really did pass notes. Hard to exaggerate how much I admired his stories. (And his perfect handwriting.) The group has a book out just today of our 2020 output and it’s dedicated to Ron. We stood around talking about how he ended stories like no other. His lively idiosyncratic mind, totally unique. A sense of timing and humor that just lit up his work. Plus I agree with another comment: the glimmer in those eyes. I’m so sorry he’s not among us any longer. He was a force.
Richard Radtke
Posted on March 11, 2021 at 9:54 amThe year was 2010. Monday morning. I walked into the Meadowood Neighborhood Center and met a gent sitting at a table near the entrance, obviously with business on his mind. I went to the back of the building and started setting up tables and chairs for the regular meeting of the Meadowood Life Stories writers group. Pretty soon the gent from up front came back to our ad hoc meeting area and asked: “What’s the event?” I explained. He said: “Well I do some writing myself. I’ve done features for the East Side newspaper and some other stuff as well.”
He introduced himself: “I’m Ron Hoppmann. Maybe I could sit in on your meeting for awhile.”
I said we’d be pleased if he did that. The ‘awhile’ lasted ten-years-plus, and Ron became the chair of the entertainment committee. Monday mornings we dozen or so scribes got together and shared our life experiences. Ron was always the one in charge of making us laugh. Along the way he won the Madison Magazine memoir writing contest and had his A Humble Jumble of Stories collection published as part of the prize. Later he favored us with a volume titled Tales from the Diner.
Ron was a master at weaving a tale that puts the reader in scene with the narrator, dangles the carrot in the near distance, then ends with a kind of rim-shot epiphany. His writing was an extension of his personality, always interesting, always engaging.
We will miss Ronald Hoppmann terribly, as a fellow writer and as a person. But we will remember the pleasure of his company always.