Christine Lynn Hopkins

Christine Lynn (Mathews) Hopkins
April 25, 1968 - February 1, 2020

Beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandma, aunt, niece, cousin and friend.

Christine Lynn (Mathews) Hopkins, 51, of Factoryville, Pa., was born April 25, 1968, in Rochester, N.Y., to Robert and Victoria Mathews. She passed away unexpectedly at Regional Hospital on February 1, 2020.

She is lovingly remembered by her husband, Mark, her son, Ryan Ackley and granddaughter Alayna (Watertown, N.Y.), stepson Mark Jr. and grandchildren Mark III and John (Falls, P.A.), as well as her mother Victoria and step-father Larry Pandillo (Syracuse N.Y.), and her in-laws Harry and Ruth(Zephyr Hills, F.L.), and Nancie Hopkins (Falls, P.A.). She is mourned by her sister, Colleen Santillanes and her husband Abel, nephew Matthew and nieces Allison and Emily (Liverpool, N.Y.), sister Carey Merrill and her husband Rob, niece Greta and nephew Lincoln (Niskayuna, N.Y.), her brother-in-law William and his wife Leanne, (Falls, P.A.) nephew Andrew and wife Jenn, niece Samantha, nephew Axel and niece Ayrianna (Falls, P.A.). Her father, Robert Lynn Mathews, predeceased her on December 7, 2000.

As a child, Christine loved fishing on Lake Ontario with her dad, reading mystery novels, cooking and canning with her mom, creating adventures with her younger sisters, and camping in the Thousand Islands. Chris was active in Girls Scouts and 4-H, and graduated with honors from South Jefferson Central School in Adams, N.Y. in 1986. While there, she travelled to Emden, Germany, making friends she has kept for more than 30 years. That is no surprise, as she was a fast friend to all who came to know her. She left the North Country to attend Lock Haven University for two years. From there she lived briefly in California, and returned to upstate New York, where she worked at The House of the Good Samaritan in Watertown.

With the birth of her son, Ryan, in 1997, she became a devoted mother. She always put Ryan first in all decisions, including marrying her husband, Mark Hopkins. She knew he would love and care for them both. Chris served as a devoted military spouse in the Fort Drum community for many years. Her care packages to deployed soldiers were renowned throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, especially duct-taped water bottles that of course could "only contain water." Her canning and cooking prowess provided Mark and others with a gourmet taste of home, such as stuffed jalapeños and dilly beans.

She worked on post at the Guthrie Medical Center, and in other medical organizations, until relocating to Pennsylvania after Mark's retirement. She was currently employed at Cognizant Information Technology.

Christine enjoyed time with her family, especially her precious grandchildren, helping on the Hopkins farm, watching Mark's softball games, and going on ATV adventures. She braved freezing temperatures to fish in the winter, and spent hours each summer making wine. Her beautiful smile, sense of humor, strong will, and quick wit will be terribly missed.

A memorial service with services by Rev. Judith Schmitt will occur at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5th 2020 at the Lawrence E. Young Funeral Home, 418 S. State St., Clarks Summit. Friends may call from 11 a.m. until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, we ask instead that donations be made to PinkRibbonRiders.com.