Patti Jane Dee Hopton was born on March 7th, 1938, in South Bend, Indiana, and died on September 28th, 2022, in Medford, New Jersey. She married Lester Hopton in 1960 and had two children: Ted (1961) and Jeremiah (1964). She delighted in being a mother and, later, a grandmother.

An excellent student, Patti was valedictorian at South Bend Central High School (1956), graduated from Wellesley College (1960, Biblical Studies), and took graduate courses in Library Science.

Her spiritual journey was central to her life. She was a Biblical scholar and a mystic, a passionate follower of Jesus, an iconoclastic critic of Christian theology, and an introspective individual practicing her faith by advocating for equal rights, including actively working for housing and marriage equality.
She had eclectic skills and recreational interests, including sewing, raku pottery, children's literature, Gregorian Chants, collecting teddy bears, doing jigsaw and crossword puzzles, and spending summer vacations in New England. She adored the work of Maurice Sendak, loved pandas, and doted on her cat, Jethro.

Predeceased by her parents, Tommy and Betty Dee, she is survived by her two sons, Ted Hopton and Jeremiah Gold-Hopton; her daughter-in-law, Karen Gold; two granddaughters, Brooke Brighty and Kelsey Hopton; two grandsons, Daniel and Joseph Gold-Hopton; one granddaughter-in-law, Shanti Ballard-Downs; her former husband, Lester Hopton, and his partner Lynn Conant.

She had a natural burial at Friends Southwestern Burial Ground on October 7, 2022 with a family graveside service. There will be a Quaker memorial meeting for worship for her at 1PM on June 24, 2023, at Medford Friends Meeting House, in Medford, New Jersey, and everyone is encouraged to gather then to remember her and celebrate her life. Gifts may be made in her honor to Heifer International at heifer.org .