Beth Hopping was 100 years and seven months. Her life was honoured and celebrated by her family, extended family and the wider community of Whitianga on Friday, 14 August at St Andrews By The Sea
Following the funeral service at the church, Beth was buried at the Mercury Bay Cemetery at Ferry Landing. This requires the casket to be carried to the ferry and then from the ferry up to the cemetery. It can be quite a trial for the pall bearers but it is a very moving, ceremonial, processional part of saying goodbye and indeed fitting for a matriarch who is 100 years old. Beth was buried in a family plot shared by her husband Fred, who died in 2005.
Beth has lived in Whitianga since 1993 when she moved here with Fred after having enjoyed many years of holidays in Whitianga prior to that.
The people whom we associate most with Beth in Mercury Bay are her daughter Jude Gordan who hosts a daily CFM radio programme, and Beth’s older son, Alan who bought the Buffalo Beach Holiday Camp about the same time as his parents which led to his search for The Lost Spring, now a major attraction to this region. There are also some of Beth’s grand-children in Whitianga – Andrew, Hayley and Alanna and some of her great grand-children, Anabelle, Noah, Jackson, Ryder, and Isla. Altogether, Beth had 15 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren.
This matriarch was the second oldest resident of Whitianga, outlived only by Margaret Guthrie who is 101. Of interest to many is that Beth’s mother, Bertha, was 51 when she gave birth to Beth, and Bertha herself lived to 100, passing two days after her 100th birthday. Beth exceeded her mum’s 100 years by a few months.
Beth was truly a matriarch. She inspired hard work and was a pioneer in her own right. Her four surviving children Alan, Raewyn, Gaylene and Jude (John died suddenly) all led a tribute to Beth as did some of the grandchildren and great grandchildren. Many talked about her love of words and reading and there is a definite articulate strain inherited judging by the tone and quality of speaking by those who shared tributes. The officiant was her grand-daughter, Sarah Beisly, eloquent, tender and empathic.
At 93, Beth was still volunteering in the local church Op Shop at St. Andrews By The Sea every Saturday, rain or shine.
Throughout her life Beth was an early riser and worked both as a homemaker and on the farm – coping with anything and very proud of what they (Fred and Beth) achieved together.
Farming at Hikutaia, Ardmore, and Karaka was for Fred and Beth about pioneering and developing each piece of land until it was productive and they could move on to the next.
Beth loved her gardens and fostering green growth anywhere. In her later years she was able to enjoy the lush growth of Alan’s plantings at The Lost Spring.
It was her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren who gave her the most pleasure and pride and kept her alive and interested. A common theme in all of Beth Hopping’s eulogies was that she did not give away easy compliments. They had to be earned but she found ways of assuring each one of her love and her pride in their living and achievements. A compliment or gift from Beth in childhood and youth was treasured and remembered into adulthood.
The funeral occasion with all of its invitations to hospitality and sharing memories of Beth both honoured her long life and strengthened the value of continuing Hopping family bonds. This community thanks Beth.
