Canton Obituary: Betsy (Borkman) Hoople, 56

Betsy Borkman Hoople, 56, of Simsbury, beloved wife of David Hoople, died Saturday, September 12, 2015 at home.

She was born September 23, 1958 in Buffalo, NY to Thelma Schurr Borkman (now Thelma Smolka) and the late Donald W. Borkman. Betsy grew up in Clarence, NY, where she attended Parker Elementary and graduated from Clarence Central High School. She spent her early years surrounded by a large extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and nephews. A peer and mentor to her younger cousin Annie, they were inseparable as children, sharing many happy hours at Cranberry Lake in the Adirondacks and playing by the creek and in the woods along the street they grew up on. After high school, Betsy went on to receive her BFA in Communication Design from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1980. It was there that she met her loving husband, David Thomas Hoople. They were married straight out of college on June 21, 1980.

Following their graduation and marriage, Betsy and David moved to High Point, NC for a short while before moving to a duplex in Collinsville, CT in 1981. In October of 1983 they moved to their current home in Simsbury. In the years before the birth of her children, Betsy worked as a graphic designer at several firms, including Charles Palm & Co., Gamble & Bradshaw Design, and Wondriska Associates. She served on the CT Art Director’s Club in the mid-1980s, and was an active member of First Church of Simsbury after joining in 1988. Over the years, her notable contributions included ushering, prayer shawl ministry, and serving on women’s fellowship and the ministry committee. Betsy was also a member of the Town of Simsbury Design Review Board in the early 90s. In 1987 Betsy left the work force to give birth to her first child Peter on August 30, 1987. On the same date in 1989, she gave birth to her daughter Emily.

With her husband working in a solid position at Cigna Healthcare, Betsy was blessed to be able to stay at home raising her children until September 1998, when she began teaching at Hopmeadow Nursery School (HNS). Early childhood education proved to be a true passion of Betsy’s. She returned to school and received her MA in Early Childhood/Special Education in May of 2006. A month later, she became the director and head teacher at HNS. In her personal life, Betsy shared her love of reading with her children, and enjoyed knitting sweaters for babies born to friends, family, and HNS parents. She was an active individual, biking and running half-marathons. Her favorite daily rituals included enjoying summer cocktails in the back yard of her home, and biking with her husband to Harvest Cafe and Lasalle Market for breakfast and lunch on weekends. She devoted much of her time to nurturing and caring for her children, and she spent many summers in Maine with her family visiting Medomak Family Camp in Washington and her mother- and father-in-law in Castine.

Betsy and David were avid travelers, venturing to locations across the US, Europe, Japan, and the Caribbean, often taking their children with them on their adventures. They particularly loved chartering sailboats in the British Virgin Islands, which they returned to many times over the years.

Betsy is survived by her husband David, her mother Thelma, her children, Peter and Emily, her brother Jim Borkman and his wife Gail, her brother Peter Borkman and his wife Rita, and her sister Bonnie Bezilla. Though Betsy is gone, her legacy will surely live on through the friends, family, and students whose lives she touched.

Friends may call at the Vincent Funeral Home, 880 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, Friday, September 18, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. A Memorial Service to celebrate Betsy’s life will be held at First Church of Christ, 689 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, Saturday, September 19 at 10:00 am. Private burial will be in Simsbury Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Hopmeadow Nursery School, 689 Hopmeadow Street, Simsbury, CT 06070.

Please visit Betsy’s “Book of Memories” at www.vincentfuneralhome.com for online condolences.