Mark Alan Hopkins

Mark Alan Hopkins, 48, passed away suddenly into the arms of the Lord, in Lowndes County, Georgia, on May 22, 2018. Mark’s journey to heaven began in Dallas, Texas, at his birth on July 1, 1969, to his adoring parents, Karen and Lonnie Hopkins.
Mark worked at Moody Air Force Base, just a short distance from his dream home. His civil service career in Radar Approach Control in Air Traffic Control (as Controller In Charge), began after more than twenty years active service in the U.S. Air Force in the fields of air traffic control and airfield systems operations. While actively engaged with the U.S. Air Force, Mark pursued academic efforts to achieve multiple Associate Degrees and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aeronautical Science. In 2010, he retired from active duty at the rank of Master Sergeant after distinguished professional service both domestically and multiple tours of foreign assignments in the Middle East and Europe.
In Mark’s professional pursuits he was always viewed by colleagues, supervisors, and subordinates as ‘all in’. In professional and private endeavors, he was able to find solutions to get the job done and done right. Mark made friendships easily, wherever he was, and those past and current friendships endure.
He found special connections locally in his neighborhood, and in his faith at the New Bethel Baptist Church. He loved those around him, and of his significant social and personal accomplishments, he shared that he was most proud of his intimate roles with his cherished wife, as father of his two beloved children, and as a positive contributor within an adoring, large extended family.
Mark is survived by his wife of 26 years, Jodi Hopkins; children Kyle Hopkins and Andrea Hopkins of Valdosta; parents Karen Hopkins, of Valdosta, and Lonnie and Carol Hopkins of Port St. Lucie, Florida; sister Karla Hopkins of Hahira; nieces Danielle (Garcia) Dodson of Port St. Lucie, Florida, and Gabrielle Garcia of Hahira; and nephew Ben Garcia stationed at Naval Base Charleston, South Carolina.
The funeral service for Mark will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 26, 2018 at New Bethel Baptist Church (5206 New Bethel Road, Valdosta), with burial following at the New Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery. A reception will be held after services at the family home. The family will receive friends on Friday, May 25, 2018 from 6-8 p.m. at the Carson McLane Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association, or other charities of choice in memory of Mark Alan Hopkins. Condolences to the family may be conveyed online at www.mclanecares.com. Carson McLane.