David Hopkins, Jr.

David Harrison Hopkins, Jr. passed away on September 1, 2025, at almost 94 years old, in Sterling, Virginia. He was born September 17, 1931, in Philadelphia and grew up in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, an only child, yet surrounded by a close-knit extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins with whom he remained close throughout his life. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in English, and went on to earn his law degree at Georgetown University Law School. He served in the Army and for several decades in the Navy Reserve, reaching the rank of Captain before retiring. He was an attorney in Alexandria, Virginia’s U.S. Attorney’s office for most of his professional career and was known for being a gifted and well-respected orator in the courtroom. He had four primary passions: his family and friends, language and all the arts, sports (playing and watching), and good food and drink. He loved all types of sports, coached his daughters’ softball teams, was a die-hard football and baseball fan of Washington DC teams, and was a lifelong golf player. He shared this passion with his children and their families, and athletics is an important part of their lives, thanks to him. He shared his fascination for language and the arts through discussion and performance: reading, writing, acting, listening to music, singing. This was another of the passions that he passed along to his family, and all of them are passionate about the arts and literature. He liked to read aloud and read to his daughters (and later, grandchildren) long after they were devouring books on their own. In his later years he enjoyed reading the same books as “daughter Robin” and discussing them with her, while also diligently reading the Latin American novels that “daughter Lori” gifted him regularly. At the Falcon’s Landing retirement community in Sterling, Virginia, his home for the last 29 years of his life, he was an active resident of this welcoming community and had a wonderful group of friends with whom he shared multiple activities. He appeared in numerous plays and musicals, sang in choruses and choirs, taught ESL to employees, read to children at local libraries, and re-discovered his ultimate greatest joy: writing. He wrote some fiction, but mostly book reviews, biographies, and other short pieces. His bold voice and easy laughter filled a room, and he was always ready to share a story, an anecdote, or a political opinion. His love of good food and drinks was legendary in the family, and he was happiest surrounded by a group of loved ones, with his nightly martini and good food, lively conversation and music surrounding him. He had a very magnetic and “big” personality and was a loved and respected man. He will be missed by family and community. He was predeceased by his first wife, Jean-Mari, as well as his second wife Midge McGee Hopkins, only last year. He is survived by: his two daughters, Robin Peterson (Alan) of Leland, North Carolina, and Lori Hopkins (Larry Graykin) of Manchester, New Hampshire; by his grandchildren and their partners (Zachary Peterson of Fairfax, Virginia, Gabriel Dorfsman-Hopkins of Potsdam, New York, Marcela Dorfsman-Hopkins of Manchester, New Hampshire and Abby Peterson of Medford, Massachusetts); and by his great-grandchildren (Camilo, Amaya and Avery). He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on December 19th at 9:00 AM, and following, a celebration of life will be held at the Falcon’s Landing retirement community at 11:30 AM. May he rest in peace, and may his memory be a blessing to us all.