“She was a very quiet and a humble person,” Hoppes said. “She was a devoted wife and mother who loved reading, spending time with her children and grandchildren.”
According to her son, Mary Hoppes was an only child who lost her mother at just three years old.
“She grew up on a sustenance farm in Ross County and went to a one room schoolhouse that didn’t have indoor plumbing. (She) was able to go to a secretarial school in Columbus after high school and met her husband in Columbus, our father, L. Edwin,” Hoppes said about his mother, who died in 1997.
A memorial fund with the Springfield Foundation was later established by the children of Mary and L. Edwin Hoppes to honor their parents. Monies used to support the library came from the fund, which Rick Hoppes said will continue to provide support.
“We intend to support it years into the future with additional funds through the foundation,” he said. “We hope it’s an important part of the community for years to come.”
Hoppes’ comment was echoed by senior officials of the library. In a statement shared with the Springfield News-Sun before the grand opening, Bill Martino, director of the Clark County Library, confirmed that the Hoppes’ family gift will largely benefit the Northridge area.
“With budget cuts impacting libraries statewide, it is more important now than ever for local support. We truly value every donation made to the library as, in our minds, it justifies the work that we do for the Clark County community,” Martino said.
According to the director, others have also made important contributions to support the library.
“We certainly value donations such as the one that Hoppes family has made in honor of their mother,” Martino said. “That being said, it means a great deal to us that children donate Lego sets to us or video games. The old maxim, ‘It’s the thought that counts,’ takes on a new meaning when you span the breadth of donations both large and small that are given to us.”
Several members of the Hoppes family were present for the library’s grand opening.
One family member who unfortunately could not be there was Rick Hoppes’ brother, Jeffrey, who died on Nov. 7, 2025 at the age of 69.
“He very much wanted to be a part of this library and part of the opening but he just didn’t make it, he ran out of time,” his brother said. “He would be proud.”
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