Catherine Lee (Sanderson) Hopkins, age 87, died on April 26, 2025. Originally from Auburn, Maine, she was the daughter of the late John and Eleanor (Hubert) Sanderson. She is survived by her husband, Stephen Hopkins, her children, Cheryl Niquette (Ray) and Scott Hopkins, and two grandchildren, Alexander and Lily Niquette. She was the sister of the late Barbara Pelletier of Auburn, Maine.

A graduate of Edward Little High School, Cathy pursued her passion for music education at the New England Conservatory of Music, earning a Bachelor of Music, followed by a Master’s in Special Education from Rhode Island College. While at college in Boston, she was a substitute French horn player with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Cathy began her teaching career in Naugatuck, Connecticut, and later worked in Attleboro schools. She was also the choral director at Evangelical Covenant Church in Attleboro and taught piano, organ, and voice lessons from her home. Cathy concluded her teaching career at Gallagher Middle School and then Smithfield High School, where she directed numerous Broadway musicals and was fondly remembered by students for her creative general music lessons. “Mrs. Hopkins” took joy in seeing former students around town, often singing a verse together from a song she had taught.

She was actively involved in the Rhode Island Music Educators Association, Special Olympics, and Boy Scouts Troop 1 Greenville.

Services will be held on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at Tucker-Quinn Funeral Home, 643 Putnam Pike, Greenville. Visiting hours will start at 9:30 am followed by a service at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Advocates in Action RI, an organization whose mission is to empower people who have a developmental disability to advocate for themselves and others, to support and strengthen the Self‐Advocacy movement and to raise awareness about disability issues in the community. https://www.advocatesinaction.org/

Kindly visit PatrickQuinnFuneralsandCremations.com for information and online condolences.