Diana "Di" Hopewell

     Diana (Di) Helen Davison Hopewell, 98, of Wolfeboro, NH, passed away on May 23, 2024. She was born in Montreal, Quebec on April 16, 1926 to her parents, Isabel Dowling Davison and Walter James Davison, and spent her childhood living in the neighborhood of Westmount overlooking the city and St. Lawrence River. Six years later she was joined by her brother, Donald Davison, who now lives in Knowlton, Quebec.
     Di enjoyed her girlhood living in the city, where she attended the Trafalgan School for Girls and was introduced as a debutante in 1943. When WWII came, her father decided it would be safer for the family to move out of Montreal, and the family took up residence in the lovely town of Hudson Heights right on the Ottawa River. As a young woman Di commuted into Montreal to work as the personal secretary of the CEO at the Aluminum Company of Canada (known as Alcan). It was in the office one fateful day that Di’s future husband, Robert (Bob) Prince Hopewell from Newton, MA, walked in and struck up a conversation. That led to a couple of dates and then a long distance courtship, as Bob was working for the company in Brazil at the time. In fact, Bob proposed to his bride-to-be in a letter that got crossed in the mail…but all was set right and on June 14, 1952, they were married in a little stone church in Hudson Heights. Thus began a life of adventure for Di. After a honeymoon trip through Central America, her new husband took her to Brazil where they spent the first two years of their marriage near the bauxite mines in Oro Preto. Bob was transferred back to work at Alcan’s corporate offices in New York City, and they bought a house in Tarrytown, New York.
     In 1957 Bob and Di adopted their first child, Martha, just as new plans were afoot to leave city life and move to New Hampshire, where Bob had purchased a farm in East Wolfeboro and a local business. With their little one year old in tow, they moved to High Meadow Farm, which would be Di’s beloved home for the next 52 years. A second child, Matthew, was adopted in 1959 and not too soon after, Di gave birth to her son, Jonathan, in 1961.
     Di enjoyed an active family and social life. She volunteered at the Huggins Hospital for many years, including chairing and running booths at the Hospital Street Fair. She regularly attended All Saints Episcopal Church. She was an active member of numerous women’s groups that would gather to do needlework and other crafts and enjoy each other’s company. She produced many beautiful pieces in crewel and needlepoint over the course of her lifetime, which family and friends now treasure!
     In 1968 a new adventure was in store when Bob accepted a position with the Colorado Outward Bound School, rented the farm, packed the family in the station wagon and drove to Denver, Colorado. Di spent the next decade being a “westerner.” She joined the Junior League, became a docent at the Denver Art Museum, and for a few years had great fun working in the bridal department of The Denver Dry Goods Company, right in the heart of the city. During these years in Colorado, Di and the family made numerous trips throughout the Southwest,
Wyoming, Montana, Oregon, and into northern Mexico. Bob also bought four acres of mountain property in Breckenridge, long before it became the premier ski resort that it is today, and the family spent many a weekend building and then enjoying a cabin, where they entertained many New Hampshire friends. Despite the allure of the Rockies, Bob and Di always called Wolfeboro “home,” and in 1978 returned to the farm. There they embraced a very active retirement life. Once again both Bob and Di involved themselves in civic activities and volunteer work, though Di’s greatest claim to fame was cooking and entertaining.
     Di was truly a “hostess with the most-est” and loved sharing her home, as well as her cottage on Kingswood Lake, with their many friends from near and far! For many years she and Bob hosted a Christmas party at the farm after services at the Cotton Mountain Church, and enjoyed inviting their fellow ski-club members for warm winter gatherings after a day on the slopes. On many occasions, including birthdays and anniversaries, Di would write poems that she would read to the guest of honor, much to their delight.
     Starting in the mid-nineties Di became a sales consultant for the direct-sale clothing company, Doncaster. She and her partner became a top producing duo, displaying each season’s collection by invitation and generating some of the highest sales in the northeast region. Di adored selling clothes and continued with this activity for over a decade!
     During these retirement years Bob and Di also traveled extensively, both to see friends around the world and also to discover new places, including China, Australia, and Senegal! Di kept detailed journals of their travels. During a trip to Eastern Europe, she was particularly fascinated by Princess Marie of Edinburgh, who married King Ferdinand I of Romania, and later gave a talk about the princess’ life to her Wolfeboro book club!
     Not too long after Bob’s passing in 2006, Di became a resident at Sugar Hill (2010), and stayed there until 2022, when she moved to Mountain View Nursing Home.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Lakes Region Humane Society in Ossipee, New Hampshire.

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