Gerald Wayne Hopp, 77, of Lincoln, died September 27, 2026. He was born September 6, 1949, in Nebraska City to Donald Harry Hopp and Glenis Maria (Holtgrewe) Hopp and was raised on the family farm 3 ½ miles east of Talmage, Neb. Gerald and younger brother Mark helped raise corn, wheat, soybeans, hogs, sorghum, alfalfa, chickens, and cattle.
He was confirmed at Zion United Church of Christ in Talmage on April 7, 1963 by Pastor Robert N. Alpers. His confirmation verse was Matthew 28:19-20, often known as the Great Commission.
Gerald attended his first year of public education at Mohawk country school District 73, a one-room school house, before graduating from Talmage Public Schools in 1967 as class Salutatorian. He played football, basketball, baseball, and track and field. He served as sports editor for the yearbook. Gerald continued to play fastpitch softball for the Talmage men’s team into his 40s.
Gerald went to Kearney State College for one year with an interest in sociology then enrolled at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln starting in 1968. While at UNL, he lived at Ag Men fraternity near East Campus and was elected to multiple leadership positions. Gerald graduated in 1971 with a dual major Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics and Animal Science and finished a Master of Science degree in Spring 1973.
Gerald was a member of the Nebraska Army National Guard from 1971-77 with a final enlisted rank of Sergeant, or E-5. He was hired into UNL Extension in 1973, with a training stop in Nemaha County before serving two years at West Point in Cuming County as assistant county agent.
He was hired in February 1976 as lead agent in Richardson County and moved to Falls City, serving for 28 years until his retirement from Extension in 2004. Among his responsibilities, Gerald loved building the youth 4-H program, culminating each year with the 4-H Junior Fair in Humboldt. Other special projects included being on the planning group to build the Powell Livestock Pavillion at the county fair grounds in Humboldt and initiating the idea of the local 4-H Booster Group. He communicated regularly with the public through a weekly newspaper column titled “Hoppin’ the County” in the Falls City Journal and a monthly radio program.
Gerald served in various district and state leadership positions for the Nebraska Cooperative Extension Association, including a stint as President of the 4-H Section along with the national convention banquet chair when the event was in Omaha. He also served as the Nebraska State Fair Dog Show Superintendent for many years. Gerald received the State 4-H Distinguished Service Award in 1984.
Gerald married Kathy Leigh Amend on May 30, 1981 in St. Joseph, Mo. To this marriage, two sons were born in Falls City, Andrew in 1983, and Brian in 1986. Kathy was a constant teammate to Gerald in every regard in leadership roles big or small, especially in his later years as caregiver.
Upon retiring from Extension in 2004, Gerald worked five years at Radio 1230 AM KTNC Falls City, serving in multiple capacities on-air, writing, and sports play-by-play, winning two bronze awards from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association for human interest stories. In 2009, he became a para-professional serving with special education with Falls City Public Schools until 2015.
Other interests in Falls City included: Jaycees, with terms as Vice-President and President, Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, First Presbyterian Church and then First United Methodist Church various committees chair, Clefsmen men’s choir, youth sports coach for multiple years for both sons’ teams in baseball and basketball, and public address announcing for local baseball and softball teams. Gerald served as a founding member and invested thousands of hours as curator of the Itha T. Krumme Memorial Arboretum until 2019, through which he was awarded the Johnny Appleseed figure in 2005 from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.
Gerald was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in March 2014 through which his humility, kindness, and resolve were displayed. Gerald and Kathy participated in multiple Parkinson’s Foundation events and physical therapy activities. They were honored as Top Fundraiser in their final Parkinson’s Foundation Moving Day event. Gerald and Kathy moved to Lincoln in 2020.
They joined Edenton Christian Church and enjoyed many visits from family and friends and attended numerous grandchildren sporting events, dance recitals, and music concerts.
Gerald is survived by his wife of 45 years, Kathy, of Lincoln; his sons Andrew (Stephanie) of Gretna, Neb., and Brian (Jamie) of Lincoln; six grandchildren: Ethan, Ashleigh, and Kaitlyn of Gretna, and Alaina, Lincoln, and Atalie of Lincoln; sister-in-law Julie Hopp of Dunbar, Neb., sister-in-law Laurie (Larry) Rathbun of Sedona, Ariz., and brother-in-law Cory (Tracy) Amend of the Bahamas; uncle Virgil Holtgrewe of Loveland, Colo; nephews Chris Hopp of Hutchinson, Kan., and David (Ally) Hopp of Omaha; with many more family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, and aunt.
A celebration of life service for Gerald will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday, October 5, 2026, at Edenton Christian Church in Lincoln. Internment will be at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery.
Gifts to honor Gerald’s life will be directed to the Itha T. Krumme Arboretum and the Parkinson’s
Foundation.
