The obituary notice of David Christopher O.B.E. HOPKINSON

Dave was a lively character. We knew him as a very good friend.
We will be at Daves funeral and will be representing Chris & Tom Lowbridge Nee Good.
Chris was Daves P.A. at Devonshire House she now lives in France. Chris has always kept in touch with Dave and maintained he was a very good Boss. We all remember him re housing the Vietnamese, he was so passionate and sympathetic in his job.
J & B Parrott

So sad to hear of the passing of Dave. I knew Dave in the late 70s when I worked in the typing pool at Devonshire House when he was Director of Housing . You'd hear him coming down the corridor, pipe in hand, a great letter dictator if ever I knew one. The words would just flow. He was a dynamic and larger than life person and a good boss. He will be sorely missed by all those who knew him .

Great man who gave me my first job in housing in 1978 exciting times and many memories I loved being part of his team and he made you proud to work in housing . He loved this town and was an inspiration and gave me many challenges to sort out over the years and many opportunities which shaped me and set me up for a long career in housing - he taught me so much and for that I’m very grateful . Gill Brown

How sad. Grimsby has lost a real 'tour de force'.
I first met Dave when he was Deputy Borough Treasurer at Grimsby Borough Council at the Municipal Offices. Pipe smoker and table-tennis player, he was a lugubrious character, full of energy and working for the good of not only the town's people but for humanity. It was a little bit of a surprise when he was appointed Director of Housing, but he grew into the role and in stature. I remember volunteering to support Dave's initiative in bringing Vietnamese refugees to Grimsby, his ambitious ideas on housing the elderly in Nelson house, a former tower block near Freeman Street market, the development of Bradley Park and improvement of all of the other council estates at the time. Dave was one of the first to see through the 'sale of council houses policy' which virtually gave away rate payer funded housing to private ownership and deprived the local community of a valuable resource. His energy was contagious and his enthusiasm to help people was unbound. His love of the town and the people of the area was his driving force. When entering a room he would immediately light it up and he was not bashful in promoting the area with government ministers and officials who would be transported around the area, with a cadre of Council officials on a Granville Tours or Peter Sheffield bus to campaign for more funds. Dave was one of numerous Council Officers who gave more of themselves than they ever received in rewards but Dave was exceptional in his ability to garner support for his ideas and motivate people. I feel proud to have called him a friend and a colleague. Certainly a road should be named after him.... Hopkinson Way has a nice ring to it!

So sad to hear that Dave has left us but I must say that our area will be the poorer for Dave was a true ambassador for us and he will be sorely missed by all who knew him Val and Trevor Gibson

A truly unique and inspirational man who genuinely cared. I count myself very very fortunate to have worked for him for 10 years and to have had many conversations with him after he ‘retired’. (I can still smell that pipe in Devonshire House!). R.I.P. DCH - Legend in my eyes.

A fantastic man. He gave me my first break into the world of work at Nelson House. I saw him several times after I left there and he always had time for a chat and always finished the conversation with the words keep smiling. RIP Dave.