Edith Ann "Edie" Hopson, daughter of Glen & Pearl (White) Bantam, was born October 22, 1956 in Holdrege, Nebraska, and passed away Saturday, January 14, 2012 at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska at the age of 55.

The youngest of ten children, she grew up on the family farm south of Orleans, Nebraska and attended grade school at Rural District 60. As a young girl, she was baptized at the Presbyterian Church in Orleans.

Her family later moved into Orleans and she graduated from Orleans High School in 1974. After graduation she finished a one-year Accounting program at the Lincoln School of Commerce in Lincoln, Nebraska.

On November 15, 1975, Edie married Clark Hopson. They made their home on a farm eleven miles north of Phillipsburg, Kansas. This union was blessed with the birth of three children: Amy, Neil and John.

Edie's passion and first priority was raising her kids; however, she also enjoyed being a farm wife, helping Clark outside with the animals & chores and later, working in the hog unit. She loved checking the cows with Clark and making lunches to take to the field. Planting her vegetable and flower gardens and watching them grow was another of her favorite outdoor activities.

In addition to children, Edie loved animals, and the farm always had something new and different to offer. Whether it was chickens, goats, sheep, ducks, llamas, pigs, cows or horses, big and small, their farm had seen it all. She loved the challenge of saving a runt pig or castaway kitten that the kids would bring to her. It was amazing to see how those baby animals survived and thrived with her special care and nurturing.

Edie's talents and interests continued outside her home as well. She'd say, "I've worked all the places that I've ever wanted to work!" Her job experiences included working at a drug store, optometrist's office, two banks, the Home Health agency, at the school as a Para, at the fiber mill, and doing contract sewing for a friend. In her spare time she enjoyed sewing and knitting, especially if the pattern was something new and different to learn, or if the project was for her kids or grandkids.

Edie was a faithful and active member of the First Christian Church in Phillipsburg, teaching both Sunday school and Bible school. Her family and her constant, abiding faith in God were the most important things in her life. She cherished her husband and children and treasured each one of her precious grandkids. No matter what . . . they always made her smile.


Preceding her in death were her parents, Glen & Pearl Bantam, and her brother, Roger.

She is survived by her husband, Clark, of the home in rural Phillipsburg; her daughter, Amy Johnson & husband, Dustin, and sons, John & wife, Tonya, and Neil & wife, Tara, all of Phillipsburg; four grandchildren: Dakota, Madison, Heath and Alivia; four sisters: Phyllis (Howard) Bosley of Great Bend, KS; Nadine (Frank) Condello of Lincoln, NE; Lela (Craig) Fidler of North Platte, NE and Merry (Rick) Jessup of Logan, KS; four brothers: Ernie (Vicky) Bantam of Spearfish, SD; Tony (Rita) Bantam of Woodbine, IA; Douglas (Julie) Bantam of Lincoln, NE and Eddie (Jo) Bantam of Dalhart, TX; and her sister-in-law, Jan Bantam of Oxford, NE.

Funeral services will be held Friday, Jan. 20, at 2:00 p.m. in the First Christian Church, Phillipsburg, with Pastor LeRoy Herder officiating. Burial will follow in the Iowa Union Cemetery, Phillips County.

Visitation will be Wed. from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. and Thurs. from 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, with the family receiving friends Thurs. evening from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be given to the First Christian Church.