With a strong and loving heart to the end, David Lawrence Hoeppner peacefully passed away at home in Bakersville, NC with his family by his side on July 30, 2021. For seven years, David battled severe neurological disease with admirable determination.
Born on April 21, 1941 in Altona Manitoba, David is preceded in death by his father Jacob Neufeld Hoeppner, his mother Susanna Sawatsky Hoeppner, sister Mary Joan Susan Hoeppner (2 years old), sister Kathleen Hoeppner Hildebrand, sister Doreen Hoeppner Poettcker, all of Manitoba, and brother Jacob Mervyn Hoeppner of Ontario.
Surviving is his wife of 54 years, Gloria Hoeppner; daughters Jennifer Lang (William) and Julie Collins (Geoffrey) of Wilmington, NC; grandchildren Justine Lang, Colin Lang, Benjamin Collins, and Lucy Collins; sister Marie Hoeppner Guenter (Clarence) of Cochrane, Alberta; brother Ronald Hoeppner (Norma) of Lacombe, Alberta; brother Vernon Hoeppner (Christine) of Clavet, Saskatchewan; brother Raymond Hoeppner of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; and numerous nephews and nieces.
As the first in his parents’ families to attend university, David proceeded to medical school at the University of Manitoba, followed by an internship at Winnipeg General Hospital. His post-graduate training took place in Cleveland, OH at Lutheran Medical Center, where he met Gloria, and at the Metro General hospital.
David’s career began in 1970 as a clinical instructor at Case Western University School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH, and with his private practice of Internal Medicine and Cardiology. He found his true medical calling when he became an emergency department physician at New Hanover Memorial Hospital in Wilmington, NC. After a brief stint in Calgary, Alberta at Baker Sanatorium as a tuberculosis medical officer, he returned to the more favored emergency department at New Hanover Memorial. There he was a founding member of Eastern Carolina Emergency Physicians and the first MEDAC Urgent Care. His emergency care in Wilmington drew to a close after three years with Cape Fear Hospital. In 1997, David and Gloria settled in Bakersville, NC where he remained in emergency medicine at Spruce Pine Community Hospital, until becoming chief of staff for four years before retiring in 2012.
During his early years, a solo holiday to Mexico, a sailing lesson in Puerto Rico, and eventually sailboat racing on Lake Erie all pointed his compass toward the sea. A move to Wilmington, NC took shape, and in 1976, after selling nearly all belongings, David and his family sailed for one year through the eastern Caribbean. In 1995, David and Gloria took a second sailing sabbatical for two years which included the Bahamas, the eastern Caribbean, and Venezuela.
Living in the North Carolina mountains offered David the opportunity to further his passion for long-distance bicycling, including participation in endurance races such as the 100-mile Roan Moan (to elevation 5512 feet) and the 62-mile Burnsville Metric.
David’s love for carpentry shows through in his craftsmanship of their Bakersville home. He also applied his carpentry talents with United Methodist mission teams to assist rebuilding during hurricane disaster relief trips.
On Thursday, August 5, 2021, David’s family laid him to rest on the family farm near Bakersville, NC. Those wishing to pay tribute to David may attend a Celebration of Life service on Saturday, August 21, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at Cross Street Center in Spruce Pine, NC.
Of his journey he could have said, “…. All times I have enjoy’d greatly, have suffer’d greatly, both with those that loved me, and alone…”
In lieu of flowers, in support of the loving and compassionate staff whose care for David went above and beyond, the family is requesting memorial donations be made to Hospice and Home Care of the Blue Ridge: by mail to 236 Hospital Drive, Spruce Pine, NC 28777 or online at https://www.hospiceblueridge.com/make-a-contribution .
To send an online condolence please visit: www.yanceyfuneralservice.com