Cynthia Rie Hopkins

Cynthia Rie Hopkins, 70, of Smiths Station, Alabama, passed away peacefully on March 29, 2026. A visitation will be held at Vance Brooks Funeral Home, 3738 Hwy 431 N., Phenix City, AL, 36867, on Friday, April 3, 2026, at 10:00 am – 11:00 am EDT, followed by a Funeral Service at 11:00 am EDT officiated by Rev. Mike Reeves.

Cynthia Hopkins was born on April 17th, 1955, in Columbus, Ga to the late Annie Corrine Carden Durham. Being a mother and wife was her life’s greatest accomplishment, and her children and grandchildren were her entire world. She was very close to her mother and, above all else, loved to spend time with her family. Alongside her family, Cynthia also loved nature. One of Cynthia’s favorite places was the beach, where she and her family liked to seashell hunt and play in the sand and water. She loved to go on woodland walks and visit the local creeks, lakes, and water holes with her children, instilling her love for nature in them. Likewise, she deeply loved animals to the point where she liked to save and raise puppies, baby squirrels, chipmunks, and even a possum. She also liked the idea of a treasure hunt and loved going to yard sales. Cynthia was very booksmart, she enjoyed Shakespeare and other modern-day classics such as Wuthering Heights. Alongside her reading she also learned to play piano and guitar when she was a young girl. Eventually she quit her piano lessons when she came to the realization that she preferred Rock and Roll over the normal classical training she’d received. Cynthia also loved art, and liked to draw and paint. Today Cynthia’s passions and hobbies live on and are continued through her children and grandchildren.

Cynthia was one of the sweetest people you could ever meet. She never had an unkind word to say, and genuinely didn’t have a mean bone in her body. She was nurturing, funny, selfless, and deeply loving. She was truly a beautiful soul, inside and out. Cynthia was the best daughter, mother, grandmother, wife, and friend you could ever hope to have, and she will be deeply missed by those who know and love her.

Cynthia is preceded in death by her mother, Annie C. Durham, and her stepfather, Melvin Durham. She is survived by her beloved husband of 25 years, Jerald Hopkins, her sons Ronnie Huckelba and Jimi Huckelba, her daughter Chelzie Nehl and Chelzie’s husband Nate Nehl, and her grandchildren Reily Huckelba, Nathaniel Nehl, and Carden Nehl.