Darlington Hoopes Jr. of Colony Park in Spring Township moved into the light on December 27, 2017 at the Reading Hospital with his wife by his side.

He was born in Norristown, PA on January 1, 1927 to Darlington Hoopes and Hazelette Miller Hoopes and they moved to Reading later that year.

Darlington is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 47 years, Frances Cichowicz Hoopes, and four daughters and four sons-in-law, Rebecca (Hoopes) and Michael Powers of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; Ruth (Hoopes) and Gene Slavin of Crofton, Maryland; Ellen (Hoopes) and Jerry Simmons of Hyattsville, Maryland; and Melissa (Hoopes) and Mike Leonovich of East Greenbush, New York; one son and daughter-in-law, Darlington Andrew and Jane Hoopes of Mertztown, Pennsylvania; and seven grandchildren, Brent Powers; Kristen Powers Alsop; Kyle Slavin; Lauren Slavin Bavis; Jackson Simmons; and Shannon and Roland Hoopes. He was also survived by his sister Delite Hawk and numerous nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his brother Rae Hoopes.

He was a member of the Reading Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

He attended Reading elementary and middle schools. He graduated from George School in Newtown, PA in 1945, Albright College in 1950, and Dickinson School of Law in 1953. After his service in the Army during World War II he determined that war and force were not an acceptable way to resolve disputes. This led him to become involved with the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).

He practiced law for more than 53 years and was a member of the Berks County, Pennsylvania, and American Bar Associations. He was a member of American Civil Liberties Union and was devoted to volunteering his time to many peace and social order concerns. He attended many civil rights marches in Washington, D.C. and frequently told his children and grandchildren how inspired he was by attending Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” march in 1963. In 1966 he went to Mississippi on behalf of the American Bar Association to provide pro bono legal representation to the oppressed.

Darl was active in the Berks County and the United States Socialist Parties in the 1940s and ‘50s and ran for the office of District Attorney for that party in 1955. Starting in the late 1950s he registered as a Democrat and was very active in the Democratic Party for the rest of his life. He received a lifetime Achievement Award from the Berks County Democratic Committee and was a Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee Member for more than 40 years. He was proud of his induction into the Pennsylvania Voter Hall of Fame for having voted in more than 50 consecutive general elections.

He actively volunteered for numerous organizations and served on the boards of the Berks County Mental Health Association, Economic Opportunity Council, Reading-Berks Human Relations Council, the United Way, Berks Chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism, and served as Treasurer on the Board of Berks County Community Action Program. He helped establish Pill Addicts Anonymous and Threshold Inc. and he served as president and provided pro bono legal services for these organizations.

He drew his greatest pleasures from his family and he and his wife enjoyed participating in many political and charitable functions together through the decades. He shared his passion for fishing with his children and his grandchildren, who were a source of great joy. He looked forward to joining his fellow Blue Marsh BassMasters at many fishing tournaments and especially looked forward to joining his fishing buddies for an annual Canadian tournament.

A memorial service will be held at Reading Monthly Meeting, 108 North Sixth Street, Reading, on January 13th at 2:00 P.M. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Reading Monthly Meeting at the above address. Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home Inc., 739 Penn Ave., West Reading is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be recorded at www.kuhnfuneralhomes.com