Hanover, NH

P. Jack Hoopes passed away peacefully on August 10, 2025 at home with his wife and daughter by his side after a year of battling cancer. In just a few days, Jack would have celebrated his 74th birthday.

Jack was born on August 13, 1951 to Paul Jack Hoopes, Sr. and Virginia Bixby Hoopes-Tarpley in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Jack was a beloved father, husband, brother, uncle, friend and colleague. He touched the lives of many with his kindness, loyalty, wonderful sense of humor, outgoing personality, and genuine curiosity. Jack was a generous friend and neighbor, and possessed an empathetic heart. He cared about the well-being of others and possessed a rare gift of building a sense of community in the many avenues of his life and work.

Jack attended the University of Oklahoma and after three years was accepted into the College of Veterinary Medicine at Oklahoma State University, graduating with his DVM in 1976. After one year of private practice, Jack was accepted into a zoo animal residency at the National Zoological Park in Washington DC and completed both his residency and NIH graduate program in 1979. Continuing his education, Jack entered a combined pathology residency and PhD program at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Science, Colorado State University and completed his studies in Radiation Biology/Pathology in 1984.

After completing his graduate program, Jack continued his post-doctoral training in translational radiation oncology as a fellow at Colorado State University and in 1986, accepted a fellowship in a collaborative program at Duke University and North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine. In many ways, Jack was a "professional student", but in fact, it reflected his love of learning and numerous academic interests.

In 1988, Jack began what would be a life of dedication to teaching and research, and accepted a research position at Dartmouth Medical School. Over the next 37 years, he devoted his career to teaching and research, collaborating in numerous departments at Dartmouth including the department of surgery, radiation oncology and the Thayer School of Engineering. During his tenure at Dartmouth, Jack led the Dartmouth Center for Comparative Medicine, as well as the Research and Surgical Laboratories in the Department of Surgery.

In 1986, Jack met his wife, Vicki J. Scheidt, at North Carolina State University while they were both working at NCSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Jack and Vicki moved to Hanover in 1988 and had one child, Mollie F. Hoopes, born in 1991. Jack was a devoted husband and father. His love for his work was only matched by his love for his family, the outdoors and sports.

Jack was a force of nature and an eternal optimist. He followed a life of self-reliance, but maintained a collegial presence in all of his work and personal endeavors. Jack was incredibly loyal, devoted and generous to his friends and family. He loved the outdoors and was an avid runner, completing numerous marathons, including three Boston Marathons in his thirties. Jack was the ultimate sports enthusiast and often attended Dartmouth football, basketball, soccer and cross-country running events. However, Jack remained forever loyal to OU football and was a "Sooner" for life. Above all, Jack rarely missed his daily walks or runs on his beloved trails near his home with Clementine, his dog by his side. Jack spent many hours biking through the mountains of New Hampshire and around Lake Fairlee, Vermont with his daughter Mollie, especially in June as he prepared for The Prouty.

Jack was preceded in death by his parents, Jack Hoopes, Sr. and Virginia Hoopes-Tarpley. He is survived by his wife, Vicki and daughter, Mollie, as well as his brother, Bradford Hoopes and wife, Mary Hoopes and their four children, Ginny Hoopes, Mitch Hoopes, Tom Hoopes, and Hannah Lackey, his sister, Terry Cook and her three children, Andrew, Ben and Charlotte Cook, his youngest sister, Cindy Ratliff and her three children, Alex Ratliff, Lucy Ehret and Virginia Ratliff.

A memorial service will be held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Hanover, NH on Saturday, September 6th at 11am.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the P. Jack Hoopes, D.V.M., Ph.D. Memorial Research Fund at the Thayer School of Engineering or to the Dartmouth Cancer Center in his honor.