Stephen J. Hopkins

stephen-j-hopkins

Stephen J Hopkins, 86, succumbed quietly to a brain tumor at Hooverwood Jewish Home on Tuesday morning July 7, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was attended at passing by his high-school sweetheart and wife of 68 years, Colleen.

During their married life they enjoyed living in many places: Los Angeles, CA; Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio; Schenectady and Glens Falls, New York; Owensboro, Kentucky; Oradell and Demarest, New Jersey; and Indianapolis, Indiana.

Born at home on a farm in Jeromesville, Ohio on October 24, 1933, the first born son of Ernest J and Mary Coleman Hopkins, Stephen learned early about the value and challenges of hard work: proudly raking hay with a team of two horses at the age of five even before he started attending school. Over the course of his life he made the transition from those rural agricultural beginnings to become a respected management consultant and turnaround advisor to financially troubled companies across the U.S. and around the world.

Determining in adolescence that manual labor on the farm might not offer the best possible future, Steve applied his intellect and won state-wide academic honors while graduating with a class of only 16 from Jeromesville High School in 1951. After working his way through Ohio State University, Steve joined General Electric (G.E.) where he stayed for 18 years, honing his craft in their corporate and international auditing staff, a prestigious and rigorous financial management program, and in a variety of operational and strategic management positions across the organization. After leaving G.E. in the mid 1970’s, Steve spent the next 30-plus years as a crisis manager to a challenging portfolio of companies spanning diverse industries and countries around the globe. He spent 23 years as a partner and principle of Nightingale and Associates, of New Canaan, CT, one of the first crisis management and turnaround firms in the U.S. and another dozen partnering with his son Douglas at Kestrel Consulting, LLC. He was an early and long-term member of the Turnaround Management Association.

Stephen was a devoted husband and father, a student of history and human nature, an enthusiastic world traveler, visiting every continent except Antarctica multiple times, and an insightful and disciplined business manager, analyst, and author. He was also a bit of a “foodie,” using his travels to try local foods, beer, and wine, and he was a huge fan of Ohio State Football and Basketball. He was a supporter of the arts: attending and contributing to organizations like the Eiteljorg and from the Indianapolis Symphony to Carnegie Hall in NYC. In 2006 he co-authored Crafting Solutions for Troubled Businesses: A Disciplined Approach to Diagnosing and Confronting Management Challenges published by BeardBooks. In recent years, Stephen participated in a group of stock market investors (Dancing Naked for Wallstreet) that met almost weekly.

Stephen is survived by his wife, Colleen; daughter Gwen and her husband Michael Hagemeyer of Brazil, IN; son Douglas and wife Angela of Sparta, NJ; son Michael of Livingston, MT; and four grandchildren, Stephen (Nicole) Hagemeyer of Indianapolis, IN, Jamie Hagemeyer, Calvin Hopkins and Clayton Hopkins. He is also survived by siblings: James Hopkins of Jeromesville, OH; Willard Hopkins (Lillian) of Hamilton, OH; Peg Hopkins Billick (Jim), of Overland Park, KS; and John Hopkins (Julie) of Guemes Island, WA as well as many nieces, nephews, and extended family members.

Steve was preceded in death by his parents Ernest and Mary Hopkins and a son Timothy Patrick Hopkins.

There will be no immediate services due to current health protocols. An announcement will be made in the future inviting relatives and friends to a Memorial Gravesite Service when his ashes are interred at the family gravesite in Savannah Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Steve’s name to
Hopkins Memorial Scholarship
Ashland County Community Scholarship Fund
300 College Ave. Ashland, Ohio 44805

We hope you will also light a candle in Steve’s memory.

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