Mary Jane (Wheeler) Hopkins

Mary Jane Hopkins (MJ), Passed away at home with her sons by her side on July 2, 2026. We could make this short and sweet and say she raised two boys and punched a bank robber, which shows her toughness, but she was more than just that!

MJ was born 08/28/1951, To Arthur and Carol Wheeler of Lee. Attending Lee Schools and going on to work at Mead Paper, where she met her late husband John, they would go on to spend 53 years together. She also worked at Price Chopper and Lee Bank where she retired from to become a full-time grandmother. She was overjoyed to be a grandmother and loved and cherished her grandchildren Evan, Avery, Madelyn, and Ella. They were her world and she said it was the best title she ever had, Grandma!

MJ was diagnosed with cancer soon after retiring. If you knew her well, she had NO quit in her, she juggled treatment and cared for her husband for many years. She had a heart of gold and the will to fight until the end. That’s the MJ we’ll remember, the woman that could endure so much and put her own struggles aside to care for another.

She also leaves behind her sons Michael and Jason, her brother Art Wheeler, Aunt Beverly Spence, and many nieces and nephews.

She would like to also thank the nurses on the 4th floor of the Phelps Cancer Center, your care and compassion was seen every visit we had, and you made her last few months filled with laughs and comfort.

In lieu of flowers, she requested donations be made in her name to the Phelps Cancer Center (Patient Care Assistance Fund) in care of the Kelly Funeral Home, 3 Main Street, Lee, MA 01238.