Service of Remembrance for Richard Dean "Dick" Goplin, of Hettinger, ND will be at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, August 10, 2006 at the Hettinger Lutheran Church. Pastor Kathleen Dettmann and Rev. Ron Nelson will officiate and burial with full Military Honors afforded by the Johnson-Melary American Legion Post #115 will follow at the Hettinger Cemetery. Following the graveside service, all are invited to share memories and gather with the family at the Eagles Club in Hettinger. Visitations will be from 1:00 to 7:00PM on Tuesday, August 8th at the Evanson Jensen Funeral Home in Hettinger and one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday afternoon. A gathering of family and friends will be at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening at the funeral home in Hettinger.


Richard Dean "Dick" Goplin was born on December 29, 1933, one of four children born to Harry and Agnes (Hanson) Goplin in Hettinger's Springer hospital. He was very active in sports and participated in football, baseball, and basketball while in high school. He also played on the Class B championship basketball team in 1951. He continued his interest in college football and basketball throughout his life, watching as much of it as came on the TV. He graduated from Hettinger High School in 1951 and went into the US Navy that year, attaining a rate of CT2 during his four year enlistment.


He married Betty Hjemvik, an HHS graduate, in 1955 and to that union, three children were born, Kail of Atlanta, GA, David (Rubie) of Mead, CO, and Patricia (Caleb) Namingha of Flagstaff, AZ. He attended Black Hills State University until 1958 with a major in English. After school, he worked for a finance company in Reno, NV and then in Tucson, AZ. Dick then bought and operated the popular Parker House restaurant in Williams and the Kachina restaurant in Flagstaff, AZ during the late 1960's. At the same time, he started running his very successful insurance agency in Flagstaff and Tuba City, AZ. After retiring in 1997 he split his time between Camp Verde, AZ and Hettinger. He also tried his hand at R-Ving, first purchasing a used motorhome and later a new fifth wheel trailer in which he stayed while in Arizona during the winters.


Dick lost his six month battle with cancer on August 5, 2006 at West River Regional Hospital in Hettinger, ND at the age of 72.


Grateful for having shared in his life are his three children, four grandchildren, his sister Jeanene Laib of Oceola, Iowa, his uncle, Julius (Opal) Goplin of Hettinger, his aunt Gladys McGlaughlin, of Lemmon, SD and his special friend, Sally O'Kelley. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Betty, and his sisters Leona Melling and Donna Pederson.