Barbara L. Hopper

Services celebrating the life of Barbara Hall Hopper will be held Tuesday, June 4, 2024 at 10:15 a.m. at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home with Dr. Rhett G. Payne, III officiating.  The family will receive friends from 9:00 until 10:00 a.m. prior to the service.  Robert Barham Family Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted with arrangements.

Mrs. Hopper, 91, of Meridian, passed away Tuesday, May 28th, 2024 in her home.

She was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1932, the only child of Richard and Lucille Lincoln.

A graduate of Meridian High School, she also attended Stevens College in Missouri. In 1951, she married Nelson Hall. Later, in 2006, she married Edward (Sonny) Hopper.

Mrs. Hopper was a member of the Junior Auxiliary of Meridian and of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was a lifelong member of First Presbyterian Church, where she participated actively in the Women of the Church. Outside of her church and club commitments, Mrs. Hopper was a long-time supporter and volunteer with the Meridian Little Theater. She also served on the board of the Meridian Museum of Art.

In 1982, with an entrepreneurial spirit inherited from her father, Mrs. Hopper started her own bed and breakfast reservation service, Lincoln, Ltd.—the first of its kind in Mississippi. She ran this business successfully for many years, during which time she was an enthusiastic advocate for Mississippi tourism. Recognized for her talents, she was elected president of the National Network of Bed and Breakfast Agencies in 1992.

Mrs. Hopper was a loving mother.  She patiently reared four children, teaching them always to finish what they started. A true Southern lady, Mrs. Hopper’s impeccable manners made others feel at ease, but did not prevent her from speaking candidly when the occasion called for it.

Besides her family, Mrs. Hopper loved two things above all: exciting travel and good food. During her long life, she traveled to every continent and almost every state. An excellent cook, she loved to experience different cuisines, and was genuinely curious how food was cooked and prepared. At great length, she would ask exasperated waiters questions about nearly every item on the menu while her hungry children, who were familiar with this drill, would have to sit patiently throughout the interrogation.

Survivors include her children, William Lincoln Hall (Elizabeth), Stephen Nelson Hall (Beverly), Laura Hall Badwey (Richard), and John Laurence Hall (Bill Sanders); grandchildren, Agnes Hall Bartek (John), Amelia Hall (Edward Tremel), Richard Lincoln Hall (Julia), Elizabeth Randall Hall, Ann Marie Stanton (Mike), Nelson Badwey and Laura Grace Badwey; great-grandchildren, Adelaide Bartek, Stephen Bartek, Isabelle Hall, Banner Stanton and Cecily Stanton.

She was preceded in death by the father of her children, William Nelson Hall; her late husband, Edward (Sonny) Hopper; and her beloved parents, Richard and Lucille Lincoln.

Pallbearers will be Wade Sims, Doug Fort, Lincoln Hall, Grey Cobb, Nelson Badwey, and David White.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to First Presbyterian Church.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.robertbarhamffh.com.