Al Hopfensperger, 67, and his wife Margie Hopfensperger, 72, weren’t apart much, their son Ziggy said. But even then, their closely spaced deaths after an April 9 car crash came as a surprise to him.
Ziggy Greenheart, 38, and his sister Anna Selle, 35, had expected their dad to make it until he took a turn for the worse in the hospital after the crash, he said. Al Hopfensperger ultimately passed May 2, eight days after Margie’s death on April 24. According to their obituaries, they both died at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Neenah.
Looking back on their lives, Greenheart said Al and Margie were “the kind of parents you would want as your parents” and fondly remembered family trips to Wisconsin Dells and Bay Beach. Al was “a loving father who supported his family” and Margie “had the goofiest laugh ever.”
No matter where she went, Margie always found a way to run into someone she knew, Greenheart said, and those she met found it “hard not to like her,” he said. For his part, Al was a “very laid-back” person who loved classic cars when he wasn’t working at a dealership.
St. Mary parish priest Fr. Bill Swichtenberg said Margie had even convinced him to buy a car from Al back in 2024.
Margie knew everyone at St. Mary, he said, and spent a lot of time helping at church: sending birthday cards, greeting guests, welcoming visitors and baking every Monday.
Margie’s death, especially, has been hard on the St. Mary’s community, Swichtenberg said.
“We really miss her,” he said. “It’s hard to believe that she’s gone.”
Al and Margie’s Christian faith was important to them, Greenheart said. To him, their sudden deaths illustrated a need to live right with God.
“Tomorrow’s not guaranteed; just, life is so fragile,” he added.
Hopfenspergers died after April 9 crash; funeral set for May 7
Al and Margie’s funeral mass, which is being held at 11 a.m. May 7 at St. Mary Parish, 312 S. State St. in Appleton, will also be streamed on the church’s YouTube channel.
During the crash, a 17-year-old driver failed to stop at a red traffic signal and crashed into the Hopfenspergers’ vehicle at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Meade Street in Appleton. All three were hospitalized after the crash.
Police said alcohol was in the teen’s system. Officers found one vehicle overturned and the other in a parking lot off the road when they arrived at the crash. Police have recommended charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, homicide by use of a vehicle with prohibited alcohol content and injury by intoxicated use of a vehicle causing great bodily harm.
A GoFundMe for the Hopfenspergers’ medical expenses has raised nearly $11,000.
Benita Mathew contributed to this report.
Rebecca Loroff is an education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Son, priest speak of Appleton couple who died after April 9 crash
Reporting by Rebecca Loroff, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
