Dorothy “Dot” Longenecker Hopper, age 95, went to be with her Savior on Friday, December 4, 2015 in Hillsborough, NC, surrounded by her children and loved ones.

She was born March 26, 1920 in the Belgian Congo to Jay Hershey and Minnie Hauhart Longenecker. Dot grew up as a missionary kid in the Belgian Congo. She earned her B.A. in English at Queens College and received her Master’s in Christian Education at the Presbyterian School for Christian Education in Richmond (formerly The Assembly’s Training School) with a thesis entitled “The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Second Generation Foreign Missionaries of the Presbyterian Church U.S.” She married Joseph Barron Hopper, whom she met at Collegiate Home in Montreat, NC. She and Joe served as Presbyterian missionaries under the Board of World Missions, Presbyterian Church in the U.S., in South Korea for 38 years before retiring to Montreat.

Dot was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother; a prayer warrior; a painter; and a dear friend to many people around the world. She was known as an excellent storyteller of her childhood adventures in the Congo and her adult years in Korea.

She is survived by her four children, Alice Hopper Dokter of Stone Mountain, GA, J. Barron Hopper of Kingsport, TN, David Hershey Hopper of Greensboro, NC, and Margaret Hopper Faircloth of Hillsborough, NC; her nine grandchildren, Joseph Hopper, Justin Dokter, Betsy Herman, Jacqueline James, Lydia Hopper, Rachel Caughran, Martha Theilacker, Tim Hopper, and Laura Faircloth; and her 11 great-grandchildren.

Dot was predeceased by her husband, Joe; her parents; her stepmother, Ruth Engler Longenecker; her sisters, Alice Longenecker Vail and Roberta Longenecker; and her brother, Hershey James “Jim” Longenecker.

Her family is grateful to the staff at her home, Brookshire Senior Living in Hillsborough, for their excellent care of her in recent years.

A memorial service will be held at Gaither/Graham Chapel in Montreat, NC on Saturday, December 12, at 4 pm, with a reception following. A private burial will precede the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Dot Hopper Africa Memorial Fund, c/o Preston Hills Presbyterian Church, 4701 Orebank Rd., Kingsport, TN, USA.