John Manuel Lopes passed into his final resting place, on July 31st, 2023. John was 88 years old, having lived a long and wonderful life. John was a long-time resident of Hilmar, California.
John has been married to Deanna Marie Lopes for 64 years. He is survived by his son, Tom (and De Hall-Gregori) Lopes; son, Troy (and Anne) Lopes; and daughter, Tami (and Timothy) Perry. He is also survived by their 7 grandchildren, Troy Augustine Long-Lopes Jr, Justin John Lopes, Nicole Christine Shelton, Asheigh Jean Lopes, Austen Darrell John Lopes, Broc John Perry, Bree Madison Perry, and their 3 great-grandchildren, Amelia Courage Shelton, Evan Matthew Shelton, and Noelle Cinder Lopes.
John was born on March 2nd, 1935 in Atwater, CA. As a child, he moved to Hilmar, California with his parents in the early 40’s. He was the son of John and Virgina Lopes. John was the oldest of 5 brothers, James Lopes, Richard Lopes (deceased), Tony Lopes (deceased), and Allen Lopes. John was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather (Papa) and friend. He was a hardworking man that never slowed down. He refused to let anything get in his way all the way till the end. He definitely had a stubborn and ornery side, however, that is what made you love him even more. His passion in life, in addition to his wife and family, was cars, camping, fishing, hunting and farming. He absolutely loved being on a tractor or any sort of farming equipment. His career in construction began in the late 60’s. He began working for Aderholt Construction, Inc. until his retirement as construction superintendent in 1997.
When John and Deanna began first dating, he was very much into fast cars. Purchasing a new vehicle, in particular a chevy, every year. To this day, Deanna fondly remembers driving all those new vehicles. From the 50’s to the late 60’s, he enjoyed drag racing, until he had an accident, at which time he closed that chapter so he could focus on his family and building their home. He then used his construction skills and talents to build their home and ranch. To his last days building and working on his home and the Don Pedro ranch remained his pleasure in life.
When he was not working, John loved camping and fishing with family and friends. It didn’t matter if it was at the lake or in the ocean. He always made sure you were having a good time first, you just weren’t allowed to bring a banana on board, it was bad luck! He also enjoyed hunting with his sons and grandsons.
A celebration of his life will be held on Friday, August 11th, at Allen Mortuary, 1pm with a reception to follow.
Leave a Condolence