J.A. Taylor Hopkins

Memorial services will be held at Asbury Methodist Church for Taylor Hopkins on Friday, March 7, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. with visitation beginning at 10:30 a.m. Taylor passed away peacefully on Monday, March 3, 2208. J.A. Taylor Hopkins, Jr. was born in New Orleans August 6, 1920. He went to Soule College and Loyola University. Taylor married Dorothy Nolan of New Orleans in 1943. Dottye, Dorothy's nickname, passed away in February of 2005. They had four children, 12 grandchildren and five great grandsons. Taylor was in the United States Army Finance Department for three and a half years. He developed a system of calculating discharge travel pay, which resulted in big savings for which he was awarded the Commanding Generals' Certificate of Merit. Taylor served on the Board of Directors of Lafayette General Hospital for 14 years, and was President of Lafayette Health Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary. He was a partner in a general insurance agency and received the professional designation Chartered Life Underwriter. Taylor was twice named Life Insurance Man of the year for the Acadiana area. He was a founder of and President of the Acadiana Charter Life Underwriters. Taylor was on the Board and President of Iberia Golf and Country Club and Oakbourne Country Club. As an avid tennis play, Taylor studied under nationally known tennis pros, Bill Tym of Vanderbilt University and George Beychou of Flushing Meadow, New York. He received his Professional Three Rating as a professional tennis teacher by the United States Professional Tennis Association. Son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, best friend, mentor, 'Daddy, PawPaw, T-Hop we will all miss you. Taylor is survived by his four children and spouses, Cindy Blum, of Lafayette, Ty Hopkins and wife, Bonita, of Kaplan, Gwen Hooton and husband, Don of Plano, Texas and Greer Gerdsen and husband, Kent, of Lafayette; his sister and brother-in-law, Jim and Lynn Sewell, of Houston; grandchildren, Jim Andrepont and his wife, Robin, of Lafayette, Rene Andrepont and his wife, Holly, of Austin, Elizabeth Blum, of Lafayette, Bonnie Hopkins Shoeffler and her husband, Ted; Donald Hooton, Mackenzie Hooton Mikulas, of Plano, Texas, and Garrett, John, and Emily Gerdsen, of Lafayette, Leslie Lemaire, of Kaplan, and Kayla Vincent, of Kaplan; great grandchildren, Jackson and Alexander Andrepont of Lafayette, and Benton and Elliott Andrepont of Austin, Texas. Taylor was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Phil Hopkins of Whittier, California and his grandchild, Taylor Hooton, of Plano, Texas. Cindy, Ty, Gwen and Greer would like to give a special thank you to the wonderful staff at Maison de Lafayette for their untiring effort to keep our Dad comfortable for the last few months of his life. Following in Dottye's footsteps, Taylor has donated his body to LSU Medical School. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Hospice of Acadiana, 2600 Johnston Street, Suite 200, Lafayette, La 70503-3240 or the Taylor Hooton Foundation, 6009 West Parker Rd., Suite 149, P.M.B. Box 138, Plano, Texas 75093 (www.taylorhooton.org). Personal condolences may be sent to the Taylor family at www.delhommefuneralhome.com. Delhomme Funeral Home, 1011 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette is in charge of arrangements.

J.A. Taylor Hopkins

August 6, 1920 - March 3, 2008