Matthew M. Hopkins, age 37 of Baldwin, WI, passed away surrounded by family on Friday, April 1, 2022 at his home. Matt was born on November 20, 1984 in Baldwin, to Duane Hopkins and Julie Langer. He grew up attending Greenfield Elementary School and graduated from the Baldwin-Woodville High School with the class of 2004. Matt took speech therapy at the University of River Falls, but always managed to get his point across to family and friends with the assistance of his “talker” computer or the frequently raised eyebrow and the rather common sign of sticking out his tongue. He was a jokester, but was patient with others and was a great listener that knew to keep secrets to himself. Matt had attended confirmation bible camp in Grantsburg, WI and was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Woodville. He was empathetic towards the problems of others and very compassionate.
Matt was a huge football fan and enjoyed attending the Baldwin-Woodville Blackhawk football games, and rooting for the Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badgers. He relished in opportunities to learn about the local fire, EMS, and police departments and had been on several ride-a-longs with the St. Croix County and Pierce County Sheriff’s Departments He liked watching ME TV and was truly fond of music; polkas were his favorite. Matt loved the adventure of being out and about and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Minnesota State Fair, the St. Croix County Fair, and taking road trips to the cabin on Yellow River by Danbury. He had visited Florida several times and was always excited to participate in activities including football summer camps, attending Camp Courage in Maple Lake, MN, and Speech Camp at UW Whitewater.
Matt will remain in the hearts of his father, Duane Hopkins (Corrine Gregerson); mother, Julie (Stephen) Langer; sister, Melissa Anderson; nephew, Joseph Nawrocki (Gianna Sbraccia); niece, Kelsie Nawrocki; step-siblings, Jamie (Sue) Langer, and Rachel (Vince) Trudell; step-nephews, Thomas Langer; T.J., Nicholas, and Garett Johnson; Brandon, Cadence, and Jillian Trudell; and many aunts, uncles, other relatives and friends. He is preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Allen and Delores McClelland; paternal grandparents, Grant and Violet Hopkins; and step-grandparents, Bernard and Clarice Langer.
A funeral service to celebrate Matt’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at the Zion Lutheran Church in Woodville. Visitation will be from 9:00-11:00 a.m. at the church, prior to the service. Matt’s service will be livestreamed through Zion Lutheran’s Facebook page. Interment at the Woodside Cemetery in Baldwin. Memorials preferred to Zion Lutheran Church, or to the family for bringing the UW Badger Band back to Windmill Days.
Matt’s family would like to thank everyone that touched his life and had a part in making him the fun loving individual he was.
