Deborah Harker Hoeper, 79, passed away Thursday, May 7, 2026, from effects of a stroke.
Born in Elkins, June 6, 1945, she was a daughter of the late Elizabeth Maiden.
Debbie graduated in 1963 from Green Bank High School and from Davis & Elkins College in 1967, where she was a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority. She attended graduate courses in Dayton, Ohio.
She taught school in Dayton before moving to Maryland in 1970. She was a teacher in the Prince George’s County public schools, teaching English and social studies in middle school for 26 years. In 1979, she married Phil Hoeper, a software engineer.
Debbie was very interested in travel. When she and Phil retired, they traveled extensively over a large part of the world, even going to Australia, New Zealand, Abu Dhabi, Egypt, Iceland and Beijing.
She was an enthusiastic artist, working in oils, watercolor and acrylic media. She painted in a studio in Riverdale and exhibited her work at the Artists Gallery in old town Ellicott City, Maryland.
Debbie will be buried in Arbovale Cemetery, at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 17, 2026. A brief service will be held at the graveside.
If you would like to contribute to charity in Debbie’s memory, consider your local animal shelter; Debbie loved cats.
To get the latest information on memorial gatherings for Debbie, go to www.hoeperart.com
Wallace and Wallace Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
Online condolences may be shared at www.WallaceandWallaceFH.com
