Trevor Lee Hopkins Death – Obituary: In Loving Memory of Trevor Lee Hopkins: On Friday, March 17, 2023, Trevor Lee Hopkins, age 47, of Iowa City, previously of Cedar Rapids, passed very abruptly at his home, which he dubbed “The Sunshine House,” of what appears to have been a heart attack.
On March 22, 2023, a gathering of family and friends will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service, with remarks from the family and friends starting at 6:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his honor to the Domestic Violence Intervention Program or the Iowa City Bike Library (DVIP).
The son of William “Bill” C. and Bernetta “Bunny” Lee (Nehring) Hopkins, Trevor Lee Hopkins was born on July 22, 1975, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He attended San Francisco State University to study sound design and music production after graduating from George Washington High School in 1993.
Trevor has devoted his entire professional career to the creation of music, meals, and connections within the local community. He cherished spending time at their family’s cabin as a child and entertaining in the kitchen. He spent a lot of time servicing 4-wheel drive vehicles in his father’s shop, having a particular fondness for Jeeps. He worked as a cook, audio engineer, music producer, talent buyer, and distribution manager for Little Village. He enjoyed his work and frequently held three or four jobs at once. He began his career in the music industry in The Green Room and significantly contributed to the history of The Mill.
Most recently, he took pleasure in his work as a University of Iowa cook, where he had the opportunity to mentor, instruct, and prepare meals for his favorite team, Bluder’s Bunch: the Iowa Women’s Basketball Team. Coach Bluder frequently acknowledged their pregame breakfast for their home victories.
With love and selflessness, Trevor wanted to share his various interests with everyone he knew. He was everyone’s friend and believed the best in people. His life’s work consisted of, as he put it, “putting people on stage,” and he succeeded in this. The annual Mission Creek Festival and the Englert Theatre’s preservation were made possible in large part by Trevor. If you’ve been to a show in Iowa City during the past few decades, it’s likely that Trevor played a part in making it successful, as was so beautifully said. This neighborhood will always be affected by his influence.
Trevor enjoyed swimming, riding, the Packers, the Cubs, and playing the drums. He cherished taking vacations with Ashlee, his wife and best friend. He was a serious and expert photographer who loved politics and keeping up with the latest headlines. He really wanted everyone to enjoy themselves. frequently refusing to let his mother, Bunny Lee, end the call until he got her to chuckle.
Trevor’s family includes his wife, Ashlee Louise; his parents, Bill and Bunny Hopkins; sister and her husband, Tonia Louise and Jason Rowe; niece, Ella Rowe; nephew, Liam Rowe; father-in-law, Terry Davis; and sisters-in-law and their families, Taylor and Brandon Lawson and their children, Lucy and Milo, and Maycee and Trevor Piles and their children, Colin, Ashton, Bennett, Aubrey and Veda; and Trevor’s furry family, Nic, Dr. Levi Puppernicle Lee Hopkins and Lil’ Rosie.
When it came to making people smile and laughing, Trevor was a man who never met a stranger. He also cared deeply about those he had not yet met and shared his wit, humor, music, food, family, and friends—but most importantly, his love for everyone.