William “Bill” Ervin Hoppe

William “Bill” Ervin Hoppe, age 92, of Rhinelander, passed away on Saturday, October 21, 2023 at the Rhinelander Aspirus Hospital. He was born on October 15, 1931, in Park Falls, the son of Ervin and Clara (Peterson) Hoppe. He was the youngest of three children which included his sister Carol and his brother John “Jack”. 

He attended schools in Park Falls, graduating from Park Falls High School.

In February of 1952 he entered the United States Air Force and served until his honorable discharge in April of 1956. He then returned to Wisconsin and graduated from UW-Stevens Point in 1959 with a BS degree in Wildlife Conservation and a minor in Biology.

He married the former Jane Helgert of Milwaukee in 1959 and they were blessed with 64 years of marriage, their two sons Kurt and Mike, and their families.

Bill went to work for the Wisconsin DNR for 32 years, first as a warden trainee and then as Head Forest Ranger for fire control in Menominee and Oneida counties. He was "Smokey the Bear" for many parades, school presentations and other community events.

Bill, Jane and the boys made their home on Crescent Lake where they also operated “Hoppe’s Haven” cabin rentals. He and Jane worked hard at making their home and cabin rentals a place of lasting memories for their own family and also for those that rented the cabins throughout the years. He was happy when all could enjoy the beauty of the Northwoods. His love for nature and the outdoors was a part of all he did in life.

Bill had a passion for hunting and fishing. He was able to hunt elk out west on horseback and moose in Canada’s wilderness. His favorite though was gun deer season in Wisconsin. He passed his love of hunting on to all generations of his family and he enjoyed many hunting trips with his boys and their families. Even after he no longer could go out with the team, he would wait to see the headlights come down the driveway after shooting hours and come out to hear all about the successes and failures. He loved hearing and sharing the stories the most.

Bill was a member of the Lions Club, the American Legion and the First Congregational United Church of Christ. His other hobbies included traveling the world, which included Thailand, Africa, Greece, China, and Sweden. He also enjoyed filming every family gathering and event on his camcorder, reading books, bird watching, and creating things. He loved working with his hands and always had the most creative solutions to any problems he encountered. If it was broken he could fix it. If he couldn’t fix it he’d save it just in case there would be a use for it later.

In a close second to his love for the outdoors was his love for dogs. Especially Labradors, and he was never without one. He often called them SRLs (spoiled rotten labradors), and he never had any trouble contributing to the spoiling part.

Bill was often a man of few words (unless it came to his hunting stories), but he had a quiet humor about him, a kind heart, a strong work ethic, an unmatched dedication to everything he did, and always showed up to help when you needed it. We know he is sitting in heaven now, petting his dogs, sipping on a Hoppe’s Old Fashioned (a secret recipe he created himself, and a drink that he claimed was good at any time of day) and planning his next hunting excursion.

Bill is survived by his wife Jane, his sons Kurt (Deborah) Hoppe and Mike (Kelly) Hoppe, his three grandchildren Ron Hoppe, Kaitlyn (Chris) Coniglio and Samantha (Ted) Stieber, his great-grandchild Camden Coniglio, other family and many friends. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, his grandson Brad William Hoppe, his sister Carol and his brother John.

Graveside services with military honors for Bill will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023 at 2 p.m. at the Northwoods National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers a memorial is being established in Bill’s name and any contributions may be directed to his family. You may also leave your private condolences for the Hoppe family at www.carlsonfh.com. 

The Carlson Funeral Home (715-369-1414) is serving the Hoppe family.