Scranton Fire Lt. Hopkins remembered as a role model
Lt. Kelly 'Hoppy' Hopkins, 63, died Sunday morning, Fire Chief John Judge said. Hopkins joined the Scranton Fire Department on Jan. 6, 1986, rising through the ranks to become the senior lieutenant, Judge said.
'This is a guy who loved going to work and loved being able to help people,' Judge said. 'He's touched so many people in the community.'
Hopkins was a father, grandfather and second-generation firefighter.
The Scranton fire union, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 60, announced Hopkins' passing in a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday.
'It is with incredible sadness that SFD Local 60 is announcing the line of duty death (esophageal cancer) of member Lt. Kelly 'Hoppy' Hopkins,' the union wrote. 'Kelly was a firefighter's firefighter. He was a husband, father, leader, and a prominent community figure. You could go almost anywhere in the country and if someone found out you are a Scranton firefighter, they would always immediately ask, 'Do you know Kelly Hopkins?''
In September, the fire union organized a 'Raise some Hell for Hoppy' fundraiser for Hopkins at Montage Mountain Resort following his cancer diagnosis, where Hopkins and his family received an outpouring of support from the community.
'Hoppy was the quintessential friend to anyone and would do anything for those that he loved,' the union post said. 'During Parade Day, Hoppy's favorite, marchers would hear 'HEY HOPPY!' more times than one could count.'
Scranton Fire Department Lt. Kelly Hopkins is all smiles as he marches with the firefighters during the Scranton St. Patrick's Parade on Saturday, March 19, 2022. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE)
While firefighters can become proficient in their profession through training, the ability to care like Hopkins can't be taught, Judge said.
'The caring — you either have it or you don't,' he said. 'Kelly had that from day one that he got on here until his final days.'
Hopkins loved his job and was always a positive influence, viewing the Fire Department as a second family, said Judge, who worked with Hopkins for more than two decades.
'He was always smiling,' the fire chief said. 'I don't think I ever saw him angry.'
Judge hopes people will take that mindset and carry it with them.
'The funny thing about Kelly is, everybody here, no matter if it's (Assistant Chief) Jeff White, who's been here 45 years, or the brand new guy who's been here a year, they all had some type of story to remember Kelly by,' Judge said. 'In the culture and the world we live (in) right now, we need more Kellys in the world to keep it a little bit lighter.'
However, when it was time to deal with an emergency, Kelly was a passionate, aggressive, skilled firefighter, Judge said, calling him 'a guy you wanted to be following into places.'
'He was part of the fabric that makes up this community,' he said.
New firefighters took comfort in the fact that Hopkins would make sure they made it home safe at night, Judge said.
When firefighters conclude their careers, they want to be remembered as 'good firefighters,' and everyone will remember Hopkins as one, Judge said.
'He made people feel positive, and not taking themselves too seriously,' he said. 'He didn't do that on purpose — it was just his nature to smile about everything.'
Firefighters will share stories about Hopkins for decades, Judge said.
'To know him well was a gift,' he said. 'His legacy will live on in the stories that we'll tell for years.'
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