Death July 3, 2005.  This is the obituary that ran July 6, 2005

Christopher B. "Chris" Hopper of Huntsville passes away Sunday.  He was 33. 

He was the general manager of Accurate Mailing.  He was preceded in death by his brother, Robert Michael Hopper; grandfather, John J. Rega, and grandmother, Estelle Rega.

He is survived by his mother, Julie A. Hopper; father and stepmother, Mike and Anita Hopper; stepbrother, Eric  Garner; grandmother, Betty Hopper; grandfather, Edsel Hopper; and stepgrandmother, Shirley H. Rega.

The funeral sevice will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Berryhill Funeral Home.  The Rev. John Dees will officiate.  Burial will be in Huntsville Memorial Gardens.  Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m.today at the funeral home.

Memorial donation may be made to Chris Hopper Memorial Fund, c/o Regions Bank, PO Box 680, Huntsville, AL 35801.

 The Huntsville Times did a life story on Chris that ran Monday July 11, 2005:

Rainbows at Chris Hopper's funeral offer comfort

 by John Peck

The rainbow over the funeral home Wednesday exemplified the kind of impression Christopher Hopper left with people: colorful, radiant, full of life.

Hopper, 33, died July 3 after returning from a family cookout. 

"I picked him up and went to (a relative's) for a cookout", Julie Hopper, said.  "I took him back home, and, later that night, he died.  It was sudden and unexpceted."

Chase Morrow, a co-worker and lifelong friend of Hopper, described the rainbow as "breathtaking."  Another rainbow topped the first one like an "awning," he said. 

"I think it was Chris, with his bright and colorful personality, letting us know he's in a better place and that everything is good,"  Morrow said. 

The double rainbows had a special meaning for Julie Hopper, Christopher's mother.  Her other son, Robert Michael Hopper, died in 1986 in an accident.  

"Since there were two, I think it was Chris and his brother together," she said.  

Christopher Hopper was born in Huntsville while his father, Mike, was stationed at Redstone Arsenal.  The military life moved them often: Key West, Saudi Arabia, Germany.  Julie said the exposure to other cultures fueled his interest in languages and resulted in a vast knowledge of many subjects.  

"He, at one time, thought of being a translator," she said. 

The Hoppers moved back to Huntsville in 1983.  Christopher went to Mountain Gap Middle School and graduated from Grissom High School.  He held a variety of  jobs after that, mostly in retail, before going to college. 

Morrow said Hopper was "always joking, always wanting to make people laugh."

He recalled one practical joke in which Hopper put baby oil in his roommate's shampoo bottle.  Hopper paid for that prank.  His friends brought 400 small packs of cheese and smattered them all over his car.

"You couldn't even see that paint,"  Morrow said. "He took just enough off the windshield to see through it.  It looked like a tank."

Hopper enjoyed gardening and had a passion for animals.  His mom said Hopper was a loving, caring son who often gave of himself to help others.  When one grandfather had a stroke, he chauffeured him regularly on outings. 

Also, she said Hopper moved in with another elderly grandfather to become his caregiver. 

Morrow said Hopper, general manager of Accurate Mailing, was a die-hard Republican, a loyal University of Alabama football fan and patriotic to the core.

"He kept up with all the current events of the world,"  he said. 

His friendly, easygoing way made him a natural around kids: Morrow tapped Hopper to be the godfather of his three children.