August 19, 1935 – October 16, 2024

On October 16th, 2024, Dale Murray Hopkins passed away due to the complications of sepsis. Dale is survived by his loving wife Joyce, sons Craig, Jeff (late wife Joyce), Robin (Jean), grandson Cole (Sierra and great-grandson Spencer), granddaughters Christi (Mike), and Melissa (Paul and great-grandson Ryan).

Dale was born at home in Holden, Alberta on August 19, 1935. The family lived there until 1940 when his mom, Freda moved them to Sedgewick, Alberta while his dad, Bill, was overseas in England during WWII.

After the war, Bill came to BC and bought a 5 acre lot in Oliver on Road 1. He bought 5 dump trucks and worked on the Hope-Princeton Hwy. This was the incentive for Dale to become a heavy-duty mechanic, which he did all of his life.

Dale took this heavy-duty training at Nanaimo in 1951 and then went to the Nimpkish Logging Camp to his first job, then Harrison Lake. Later he went to work for Dawson & Wade on the paving crew he operating the paver that did the long hill down from Princeton to Merritt. He finally got hired as a Heavy-duty Mechanic and the rest is history. The next 25 years he spent working all over BC, Alberta and the Alaska Highway including Granduc, setting up the copper mine millsite with Mickey Powers; and Mica Dam power lines and gas line loops near Revelstoke.

In 1957, Dale married his sweetheart Joyce Graham and lived in Spences Bridge, Lumby and Christina Lake before setting up homebase in Osoyoos in 1963, moving into their present house in 1967. Dale and Joyce’s first son Robin was born in 1959, followed by Jeff, then Craig.

Dale started his machine shop business here in Osoyoos repairing heavy equipment in 1968. Working with Ted Pendergraft he built the Desert Park horse racing starting gate which they still use to this day.

In the year 2000, Dale finally retired and he and wife Joyce did some traveling in their school bus, that Dale renovated, throughout Alaska, BC, Alberta and western USA. They quit traveling in 2012 when Dale got and survived cancer. After this illness he found driving the bus to be too difficult and another hobby started… powder coating. That is when Dale’s Quails was born.

Dale was in fine form until 2019 when he was diagnosed with dementia. He coasted along as his usual easy-going self for three years and then got Covid. Dale seemed to slide mentally and physically thereafter and finally succumbing to sepsis on October 16, 2024.

We will forever experience awesome memories of Dale as a gentle, humorous man who made everyone’s life better by him being in their company. He was an intelligent, remarkable man and will be dearly missed by all who knew him. Thank you for being in our lives.

The family would like to thank the staff at SOGH for their care and compassion helping Dale be as comfortable as possible. Thank you.

A Celebration Of Life gathering will be held at the Osoyoos Golf and Country Club Sunday, November 10th at 2:00 for all those wishing to pay their respects to this wonderful man.

Condolences and tributes may be directed to the family by visiting www.nunes-pottinger.com