Erna Hoppenthaler

Our precious and loving mother and grandmother, Erna Hoppenthaler, peacefully entered into eternal rest at home on January 26, 2022, surrounded by her adoring daughters. She was born on April 23, 1943 in Klagenfurt, Austria and is the daughter of the late Anton and Magdalena (Greisch) Stimitz. Besides her parents, Erna is predeceased by her loving husband Josef who passed away on March 11, 2008. Erna immigrated to the US with her parents, brothers, and sister in 1950 at the age of seven to Ridgewood, Queens, NY. Her future husband Josef Hoppenthaler laid eyes on the beautiful, stylish, and demure Erna at a German dance hall; she was 19, he was 24. This is where their life story began. Four daughters arrived soon after their marriage: Monica, then twins Susan and Sandra, and finally Linda. The young family eventually moved and settled in West Coxsackie, NY where they marveled at the views of the Catskill Mountains and basked in the bright morning sun in the kitchen. Erna’s self-professed most important job was being a homemaker and mother, and she also worked as a lunch aide at the Coxsackie-Athens Elementary School before transitioning to office work in Albany at the DiMaria Insurance Agency, and then to the NYS Office of the Attorney General, retiring in 2008. In retirement Erna and Joe liked to travel and visited many places in the U.S. and abroad. Preparing meals for family and visitors satisfied her desire to nurture and nourish everyone, and she loved to shop and browse at department stores. Second to being a mother, she doted on and adored her grandchildren, spending lots of time with them, especially during summer school breaks. She attended every grandchild’s school event that she could, from kindergarten graduations, music concerts, high school sporting events, and high school and police academy graduations. She was extremely proud of each of their accomplishments. She was always available to offer advice and guidance to her loved ones, even if that meant she would talk to you on her cell phone up to one ear while talking to another person at the same time on the house phone on the other ear! Erna is survived by her daughters Monica (Steven) Vasto, Susan Bishop, Sandra (Vincent) Esposito, and Linda (Stephen) Lomascolo. Her darling grandchildren were her pride and joy: Nicholas and Christina Vasto, Vincent, Julianna and Joseph Esposito, and Olivia and Antonio Lomascolo. Also surviving are sisters-in-law Magdalena Kollmann and Elizabeth Petermann, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.In addition to her husband and parents, Erna is also predeceased by her three brothers and one sister, and multiple brothers and sisters-in-law. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend calling hours at The W.C. Brady’s Sons Inc. Funeral Home, 97 Mansion Street, Coxsackie, New York on Wednesday, February 2, 2022, from 9:30 A.M. – 11:30 A.M. A Mass of Christian Burial will immediately follow at 12:00 noon at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, 80 Mansion Street, Coxsackie, New York. Interment will follow in the family plot of St. Mary’s Parish Cemetery, Coxsackie, New York. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-1942 in memory of Erna Hoppenthaler. Condolences may be made at www.wcbradyssonsinc.net. Erna will be fondly remembered for her kindness to everyone and unending devotion to her family.

Erna Hoppenthaler

April 23, 1943 - January 26, 2022