Longtime DFAC employee mourned

By Fort Jackson Leader staff reportSeptember 6, 2013

Hopkins
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT JACKSON, S.C. -- The Fort Jackson community lost one of its longtime members. Mae Hopkins, who worked in dining facilities on Fort Jackson for more than 40 years, died in August at age 60.

Hopkins was referred to as "Mama Mae" by many of the Soldiers she served.

"She worked hard at keeping good relations with others," said Dwight Blue, the 165th Infantry Brigade operations officer. "Soldiers would return to her DFAC when visiting Fort Jackson on leave from years past, and she would ask, 'How is your son, daughter or wife?' by name. She even remembered certain characteristics about people."

Hopkins most recently was the manager of the 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment DFAC. Blue recalled how Hopkins slept in the dining facility for three nights in 2011 during a winter storm that shut down Fort Jackson to make sure Soldiers would be served hot meals.

"Mae once stated, 'I will treat them all like my children and that's the bottom line,'" Blue said. "She was a person who led by example."

Barbara Johnson, one of Hopkins' best friends and former manager of the 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment DFAC, said Hopkins had a forgiving heart and never held a grudge.

"She was dedicated, hard working and had a heart of gold," Johnson said. "She was straight forward. ... And 95 percent of the time she was right. ... She had no degrees, but she had a degree in life itself."

"She truly was an angel in my mind," Blue said. "Her love will live forever in my mind. It is all about helping others that is what Mae was about making the post and the world a better place."

Hopkins is survived by her son, Stephfon McCoy, as well as one granddaughter and four siblings. She was buried at Greenlawn Memorial Park.