Obituary: Daniel James Hopson

Daniel James Hopson died on April 9, 2026, at the age of 80.

He was born in Dolgeville, New York, and was raised on a dairy farm with his four siblings, parents and grandparents. Growing up in rural upstate New York set him on a path toward travel and curiosity about the natural world.

Daniel James Hopson

He ultimately spent the majority of his life in Juneau, Alaska. Dan was well known in Juneau, having lived there for 56 years and during that time worked as a marine biologist, local naturalist, teacher, and classical guitarist.

Dan arrived in Alaska in October of 1970 after helping friends move cross-country to Juneau. He had barely stepped off the ferry when he found himself employed by the Department of Fish and Game. The state was eager to recruit a young marine biologist from Cornell with graduate work in fisheries management, and Dan went on to serve as a scientist with both the State of Alaska and NOAA.

One spring day in 1977, he was enchanted by a young woman playing music by the clock downtown and had the good fortune to marry her. Dan and Martha were inseparable for nearly 50 years. They supported each other’s interests as Dan studied under master guitarist Christopher Parkening, and later as Martha attended cooking school at the Culinary Institute of America, before returning to Juneau to start a family.

Dan embodied a time when many young and creative people were drawn to the beauty and possibility of Alaska, and he thrived in Juneau’s burgeoning art scene.  Among his many adventures, Dan toured rural Alaska and as far as Guam with violinist Linda Rosenthal, was a sister cities ambassador to Vladivostok, Russia in 1990, and made multiple trips to Europe with his wife. Most recently, they cruised the Nile River and rode in a hot air balloon over the Valley of the Kings.

He is remembered for being one of the founders of the Alaska Folk Festival, his service on the Juneau Arts Council board, and by everyone whose world stilled for a moment at the tender elegance of his music as a classical guitarist. Dan appeared in local concerts and events, enthralled diners at the Baranoff Gold Room, and taught private guitar lessons as well as at the University of Alaska Southeast for many years. He performed many pieces of his own arrangement and adaptation, and published two albums of solo classical guitar. His albums and memoir are a cherished gift to his daughters and grandchildren.

Dan is survived and adored by his wife, Martha; daughters, Lauren Hopson (Trevor Fritz) and Morgan Foss (Carlton Foss) and three grandchildren, Luca, Skye, and Anouk Foss, the youngest of whom had arrived just weeks before Dan left. He spent time with his grandchildren nearly every day, and his absence is a singularity in our hearts.

Dan loved the natural sciences and the arts, but more than anything, he had a special way of being present in his meaningful engagement with others. Many have remembered him for his friendliness, kindness, and the ease with which he would strike up a conversation with anyone he met.

A celebration of life will be held in October. Those who wish to remember him with a gift may donate to the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council and the Southeast Alaska Land Trust.