Obituary of eugene a hooprich

Eugene A. Hooprich, 90, of Gulf Breeze, Florida passed away on Thursday, February 11, 2021. Gene was born on August 4, 1930 in Coshocton, Ohio to parents Grace and Reuben Hooprich. He attended Coshocton High School, where he excelled in football, played in the state final-four championship basketball tournament, won many awards and was President of the National Honor Society Chapter. He also graduated with honors from UCLA with a B.A. degree in psychology. Gene served in the U.S. Navy for 4 years during the Korean War. He then worked as a Research Psychologist for the Navy for over 30 years in San Diego and Pensacola where he received the Navy Superior Achievement Award, one of the highest awards that can be given to a Navy civilian. After retirement, he continued working for 8 years at local law enforcement agencies, including the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Pensacola News Journal, writing a weekly restaurant review column, along with other articles. Gene had many interests, including reading, writing, magic, and sports. He was a season ticket holder the Pensacola Blue Wahoo’s, where he was their number one fan and attended over 90% of home games, including multiple seasons where he saw every pitch of every home game. He also was a member of MENSA, Phi Beta Kappa, the Society of American Magicians, and various writers associations. Gene is survived by his wife of 64 years, Faye Hooprich; one son, Mark; two daughters, Jeanine (Jim) and Helene; seven grandchildren, Adelle, Shawn, Eric, Steven, Jeffrey, Dylan and Brieana; and numerous great grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him.