Maurice HOPKIRK & Mildred UTTER

Maurice was born 22 March 1905 in Ruskin, Nebraska to Frank HOPKIRK and Iva JONES
Maurice was their second child, and their first son.

 (Click on the image to view a larger version of a photo of young Maurice)

From the 1910 and 1920 censuses we know Mauriace was living with his parents in Ruskin(also known as Spring Creek), Nebraska.

In 1925 Maurice was attending the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Here is a page from the yearbook. His younger brother Kent was attending at the same time.

On 23 Febraury 1929 Maurice was appointed as the Postmaster of Ruskin, Nuckolls County, Nebraska.
View a copy of the US Postmasters record for Nuckolls County, including Ruskin. Also on the Postmaster page you will find that Maurice's grandfather, John E. Jones, was postmaster of Ruskin from 25 April 1889 until % August 1893. Then on 29 October 1897 John E Jones again bercame the postmaster of Ruskin, until 30 March 1907, the day his grandson John Kent Hopkirk was born..Then on 31 August 1923 Frank Hopkirk became the postmaster.

Below is a photo of Maurice Hopkirk and probably Millie. There is a remote possibilty the woman could be Harriet.

(Click on the image to view a larger version of the photo)

As of the 1930 census, Maurice was still living with his parents and his two youngest siblings, Harriet and Frank "Eldon" Hopkirk. The census lists their location as Spring Creek.
He was living in dwelling #50 on Nebraska Street.

Maurice married Mildred (Millie) UTTER on 27 July 1930. Milkie was born 23 June 1906 in Alma, Nebraska, the daughter of Frederick Leo UTTER and Alice Mary McCANN, and grew up in Superior, Nebraska.

Below is Maurice and Miliie's wedding day.
      (Click on the image to view a larger version of the photo)



Maurice was a member of the Masonic Lodge and became a Past Master of the Lodge in 1936. His father and brother Kent were also Past Masters of the Masonic Lodge.
     (Click on the image to view a larger version of the photo)

As of the 1940 census, we find Maurice age 35, Millie age 33, and their young son David age 1. Maurice's occupation is Postmaster.
After over 8 years of being unable to have children, Maurice and Millie adopted son David. David was born on 29 April 1939 in Nebraska.

Then in the 1940's Maurice and Millie were finally blessed with the birth of a child of their own.

Maurice and Millie had the following children:

     David M. HOPKIRK  was born 29 April 1939 and passed away on 24 May 2015

     a child still living

Go here to view the family home in Ruskin, Nebraska.
The above home was their residence until around 1949 or 1950 when the family moved into Maurice's mother's home in Ruskin. Maurice's mother, Iva, was widowed in late 1946, and around 1950 Iva moved to California to be near her four other children. Then her daughter Hariet's husband passed away suddenly and Iva moved into Harriet's home to help her raise her four fatherless children.
Around 1954 the family moved briefly to Nebraska City, Nebraska..
Around 1955 the family moved to Frankfort, Kansas.
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Below is a picture of Mildred (Millie) Utter Hopkirk (Click on the photo to view a larger version of Millie's photo)

(Click on the image to view a larger version of the photo)

Maurice was the Manager of the Lumber Yard in Frankfort, Kansas from 1955 to 1970.
(Click on the image to view a larger version of the photo)


Here is a picture of Maurice in December 1962


Maurice passed away on 16 January 1981 in Frankfort, Marshall County, Kansas at the age of 75.
The Obituary information from the Nelson Gazette follows here:

Funeral services were held January 19 for Maurice Hopkirk, former Ruskin postmaster, at Frankfort, Kansas, and graveside services were held at Spring Creek Cemetery.

The Nelson Gazette, Thursday, January 22, 1981; pg. 3
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Maurice L. Hopkirk was born March 22, 1905, at Ruskin, Nebraska, to Frank and Iva Jones Hopkirk. He died January 16, 1981, at Frankfort, Kansas.

He grew up in Ruskin and graduated from Ruskin High School. As a boy he worked at various businesses in town. He served in the Ruskin post office for many years as an employee of his father (postmaster) and later of his appointed postmaster. For a few years he operated a small grocery store in conjunction with the post office job. His sister, Margaret, also worked in the post office. Later he worked at the lumberyard at Deshler and 25 years ago became manager of the Searle-Chapin Lumberyard at Frankfort, Kansas. He held that position until his retirement 10 years ago.

He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church; 50-year member of the Masonic Lodge, transferring from the Ruskin lodge to Frankfort Lodge No. 67 AF & AM; charter member of the Frankfort Square Dance Club; and since his retirement was active in the Green Thumb program. His last few years were given to devotedly caring for his wife as ill health gradually made her an invalid.

He was married to Mildred Utter of Superior on July 27, 1930. They had two children.

His survivors include his widow; a son, David of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, a daughter, Beth Fejfar of Yankton, South Dakota, and their families, including his seven grandchildren; two sisters, Mrs. Margaret Kestenholz, Altaville, California, and Mrs. Harriet Kalliam, San Jose, California; and many, many friends wherever he had lived.

He was preceded in death by a grandson, Bradley Hopkirt; and his brothers, Kent and Eldon, who both died in 1980.

Services and Masonic services were held January 17 at the First Presbyterian Church in Frankfort and graveside services were held the same day at Spring Cemetery at Ruskin.

The Nelson Gazette, Thursday, February 5, 1981; pg. 6



This paghe was last updated on 5 March 2021