Dennis Love Hopper

Funeral services for Mr. Dennis "Tuffie" Love Hopper will be held Saturday, October 14, 2023 at 11:30 a.m. at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home. Brother Mike "Radar" Spencer will officiate. Burial will follow at Enondale Cemetery in Kemper County. The family will receive friends beginning at 9:30 a.m. prior to the funeral service. Robert Barham Family Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted with arrangements. In loving memory of a beloved husband, friend and patriot that departed our world for peaceful rest in a better place on October 1, 2023. Dennis is survived by his beloved wife, Mary Weger Hopper; son, Lucas Hopper; daughter, Amy Hixson; granddaughter, Nestley Hixson; his aunt, Betty Hopper; and numerous extended family. Dennis was one in a million! He had a compelling, no-nonsense, take-charge personality, but those who knew him well, also saw a big-hearted, gentler, kind, and loyal friend. He was good-natured, humorous, and loved a good practical joke. He was born in Alamosa, Colorado and relocated as an infant to Lauderdale, MS where he grew up. He had a difficult childhood, as his father traveled often, and was raised mostly by his paternal grandmother, who instilled in him traditional values of hard work and responsibility. She also taught him how to cook, a skill he enhanced throughout his life. He grew up outdoors, played in the creeks, and was an adept hunter at a young age, providing food (squirrels, rabbits, and deer) for the family. Dennis was a born leader who demonstrated his leadership at an early age as a competent school bus driver in his junior and senior years at Northeast High School. He was a proficient JROTC cadet where he gained the life skills of leadership, character, and community service which he practiced throughout his life. These skills served him well as he joined the U.S. Air Force after graduation, served twenty years, including nearly six and a half years of foreign service. Dennis began his military career as an Aircraft Armament Systems Specialist, then retrained to become a Medical Services Technician, serving in Alabama, Alaska, and Mississippi, and rising to the rank of Master Sergeant (MSGT). In 1995, he turned down the MSGT rank to retire instead, and returned to the call of the wild in Alaska on a quest for bigger and better adventures. Dennis continued his life of service saving lives as a Flight Paramedic and Operations Manager. During his tenure in Alaska, he satisfied his love of the outdoors by fishing, sport shooting, and was an avid hunter of bear, caribou, and moose. He also fulfilled his lifetime dream with a 35-day African safari. He enjoyed all terrain vehicle riding, camping, and spent many nights around a campfire, star gazing, sharing jokes, and spinning yarns with his companions. In 2007, Dennis met Mary, they took an epic journey to the Grand Canyon and spectacular red rock country in Arizona and Utah, fell in love, relocated to Mississippi, and were married by year's end. Not through serving his community, Dennis joined the Livingston, AL Department of Public Safety as a Firefighter and Paramedic, as well as completed the Mississippi Law Enforcement Academy. He served as a Deputy Sheriff in Kemper County, MS, a Reserve Deputy Sheriff in Sumter County, AL, a Drug Task Force Agent, SWAT Certified Tactical Medic, Certified Armorer, and a Certified Firearms Instructor. Additionally, Dennis was a loved and respected mentor who influenced many young student firefighters in their formative years of higher education; he advised, encouraged, and inspired them to develop a "five-year plan for success," as they discerned their career paths. When a quandary would occur on the job, they honed the skill of critical thinking, and would ask themselves "what would Dennis do (WWDD)?" to resolve the situation. After 45 years of serving others, Dennis retired to Florida to enjoy watching the sunsets and recreating with family and friends. He enriched many lives and all who knew him were blessed by his generous, giving spirit. Our world is a smaller place, with an enormous void left by the loss of Dennis, but we will endeavor to persevere, as we look forward to the day we are reunited around a campfire of Glory in paradise. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making memorial contributions to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation at t2t.org.