Wanda Jean Chopping

Wanda Jean

Chopping passed away in Billings, Montana on Friday, July 20, 2018 at the age of 73. Jean was born November 21, 1944 in Lovell, Wyoming to Gordon Bullard and Edith EvaLee (Johnson) Hoffman.

Jeannie spent her early years with her parents following the oil field work around Wyoming and Montana. She attended schools in Worland and other schools around Wyoming.

At the age of twelve, she left the United States with her mother to join her father in Arabia where Gordon was working for Getty Oil Company. She was excited about this new experience where she found tumblebugs, camel hair spiders, six-inch-long shiny black scorpions, viper and sidewinder snakes, falcons and egrets, saluki dogs and lots of donkeys. And she also watched with interest the Arabic soldiers with their long hair and long dresses.

When she was 14, Gordon went to work in Kirkuk, Iraq and Jeannie was sent to a girl's finishing school in Switzerland for 8 months. This was an interesting, but challenging experience since everyone spoke French for half of the week and German for the other half of the week, neither of which Jeannie knew.

The next year, she went with her parents to Iraq and spent four hours a day working on correspondence classes. There were three American girls in camp and they became good friends. They spent their three-day weekends dancing till they had blisters on their feet!

In 1961 EvaLee and Jeannie spent the school year in Worland where Jeannie completed high school, taking a variety of classes that her correspondence courses had not included.

She married David Michael Frederick Parker on June 30, 1962 in Worland, Wyoming and moved with him to his home country of England. To their marriage was born a darling daughter, Fiona Eve Parker. Their marriage ended in divorce a few years later.

Jean married Richard Clifford Heuer on September 2, 1971 in California. To that marriage were born Richard Gordon Clifford Heuer and Justina Yvonne Leigh Heuer.

She married Ed Chopping on January 1, 1994.

She enjoyed learning new things and took a welding class in Casper and did very well with it. She worked at Crown Cork and Seal for many years and retired from the company.

Jeannie was a compassionate and caring person and provided respite and hospice care for many. If she met someone who was down on their luck, she willingly helped them out, whether it was with a place to stay, some needed funds or just an encouraging word. She loved her children and extended family and always looked for the best in people.

She spent the last few weeks of her life in the home of her son, Richard in Billings, where he lovingly cared for her.

She was preceded in death by her mother, EvaLee Hoffman and her sister Vanessa Gayle Hoffman.

Survivors include her children, Fiona Eve Parker of England, Richard Heuer of Billings, and Justina Heuer Nelson of Worland; eleven grandchildren; her father, Gordon B. Hoffman of Ten Sleep; brothers, Lavan Hoffman of Worland, and Mike (Alecia) Hoffman of Spearfish, South Dakota.

Funeral services will be held 10:00 AM Saturday, July 28, 2018 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ten Sleep. Visitation for family and friends will be held one hour prior to services at the church. Burial will follow at the Ten Sleep Cemetery. Online condolences may be made at http://www.bryantfuneralhomeonline.com.