Obituary of Robert Chambers Hoppin

Chapel Hill – Mr. Robert Chambers Hoppin, 74, died unexpectedly on Friday, April 27, 2018, in Cary, NC.

Bob was born in Houston, Texas. His father was a career Air Force pilot and his mother was a professional artist. Raised in a military family, he lived in most of the American states and in Japan. He received a BS in Industrial Engineering at Stanford University in 1971 (with minors in Computer Science and Art) after a four-year stint in the Air Force. Bob has worked as a computer systems analyst and software developer at the Stanford Research Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and other work environments. In 2000 he received the National Institutes of Health NIH Director’s Award, in recognition of his computer systems work that lead to a smooth “Year 2K” transition at NIEHS.

After retiring from NIEHS, he returned to school to pursue a BFA in Painting and Drawing at The University of Akron, Myers School of Art. He graduated in 2009, Summa Cum Laude. He had an interest in sculpture, design, kinetic art, found art, illustration, painting and drawing. His romantic paintings and minimalist landscapes have won awards, including Creative Quarterly 2007 Artist of the Year Runner Up. His abstract paintings deal with the boundary spaces between order and chaos. Many have been juried into exhibitions, including at the Durham Art Guild Members Show. He has most recently been an exhibiting member of the Cary Gallery of Artists.

A great husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend and sensei, he is truly missed.

A memorial service for Bob was held on Thursday, May 3, 2018 at 2:00 PM in the Chapel of Walker's Funeral Home, 120 W. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC.

Bob is survived by his wife, Cheryl Elman; sons, Michael Robert Hoppin, and his wife, Melissa Rios Hoppin, of Phoenix, AZ, Christopher Matthew Hoppin, and his partner, Alice Powell, of Chapel Hill; step-children, Joshua Rusenko, and his wife, Sophia Mellein, of Oakland, CA, Rayna Rusenko, of Tokyo, Japan; granddaughter, Emma June Hoppin; daughter-in-law, Kimberly Paige Stein Hoppin; and his sisters, Sandra Stigant Storm, and her husband, Richard Storm of Indian Land, SC, Cynthia June Shuler, and her husband, Rev. Jon C. Shuler, of Pawleys Island, SC.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern N.C., 1924 Capital Blvd, Raleigh, N.C. 27604 or to the Cary Gallery of Artists, Ashworth Village, 200 S Academy Street, Cary, North Carolina 27511.