Shared Love of Springsteen Music Helps Family Honor Late Father

Steve Hoppe was enjoying a Bruce Springsteen concert with his children at historic Wrigley Field on a Friday night in August of 2023 when he saw a familiar face in the crowd. With over 40,000 screaming fans in attendance for Bruce and the E Street Band, Steve somehow spotted someone he knew in the distance.

“There were so many people there. I didn’t even know who he was pointing to and didn’t think anything of it at the time,” said Steve’s youngest daughter, Erin Chin. “My dad knew a lot of people around Watertown.”

Steve was a lifelong Watertown resident and member of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church. He became a fixture around the Watertown sports scene with his trademark thick glasses, working as an official at numerous high school basketball, baseball, and football games over the years. He also volunteered as an official at Coach J’s JamFest, Watertown’s Alumni Basketball Tournament over Thanksgiving weekend, and The Great Gosling Shootout, a Watertown Youth Basketball tournament for 4th through 8th grade girls and boys. Steve never hesitated to fill in as an official/umpire at the last minute if he was available and served in an unofficial capacity as a great ambassador for Watertown athletics since his time as a Gosling student. When he wasn’t officiating at a sporting event, you could find him somewhere in the crowd taking in the action. It’s no surprise he made a lot of friends thanks to his warm personality and friendly nature.

Steve Hoppe (left) is honored during Winter Sports Officials Appreciation Week in February 2023 at a Watertown basketball game.

“His laugh was infectious,” said Watertown High School Athletic Director Jamie Koepp. “Steve was a pillar of the community, known by many and liked by even more. I met him in the fall of 2005, and he was officiating several years before that. Most nights after he officiated a JV or freshmen game at Watertown, he would sit in the same spot a few rows up, across the court from the visiting team, watch the first half, and then quietly head out like clockwork.”

Steve also became a regular at Bruce Springsteen concerts. Steve’s love for Springsteen’s music and unforgettable live performances inspired his three children (Matt, Megan, and Erin) to become fans of “The Boss.” When they were growing up, Bruce’s music was always playing around the Hoppe household, so it was almost inevitable that his children got hooked on it too.

“The music is very nostalgic, and Bruce always puts on a great show,” Chin said. “Dad would always be on Bruce’s website or his newsletter and would say ‘Hey, tickets are going on sale.” He made sure one or all of us were on the computer ready to snag some tickets.”

If Bruce had a tour stop that wasn’t too far away, chances are you could find Steve and his children there. Sometimes they went to multiple shows in the same city and ended another one in March 2023 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. A family tradition had been born, one that the Hoppes keep close to their hearts.

“It just became our thing over the years,” Chin said. “We all enjoyed the concerts, and we knew how happy it made Dad.”

Erin estimates her dad went to at least 25-30 Springsteen concerts in his lifetime and thinks she and her brother attended around 14, and her sister Megan maybe eight or nine. They could probably belt out the lyrics to most of his songs word for word. With hundreds of recorded hits, it’s hard to choose just one, but all the Hoppe children have their own favorite Springsteen tune.

The Hoppes attend a Bruce Springsteen Concert in August 2023 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

“Oh Jungleland,” hands down,” Chin said. “The saxophone solo towards the end is a pretty life-changing experience. It’s funny, my brother probably would say, “Glory Days.” My sister's favorite Bruce song is “10th Avenue Freeze Out.”

Steve started having some health issues in the fall of 2022 and not long after he found out he had cancer and underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. He still had the energy to work as an official and visit his children and five grandchildren.

But before Thanksgiving 2023, Steve’s health started to decline. He signed on to Rainbow’s palliative care program in early February 2024 and was transferred to the Rainbow Hospice Care Inpatient Center (IPC) on April 11, 2024.

That’s when Steve crossed paths with the same person he saw at the concert the previous August, Rainbow Community Care Medical Director, Dr. Thom McGorey.

Dr. McGorey had known Steve for over 25 years but hadn’t seen him in at least four to five years. Both were fellow church members and got to know each other when Thom coached basketball and served as an Athletic Director at St. Bernard’s when Steve was the main official. Steve and Dr. McGorey collaborated to schedule officials for home games and put together the schedule.

“I just knew him then as ‘Steve the ref” and he was always a friendly guy,” said McGorey.

Steve was the official who did more than enforce the rules of the game. He was someone who was well respected by both players and coaches. They looked forward to him officiating their games because he took the time to go the extra mile.

“Sportsmanship was important to him,” Chin said. “If a kid fouled another player or something, he would say “Next time, you should do this or that. He took the opportunity to offer constructive feedback to make people better athletes and people.”

“As an official, he was fair, consistent, and took a true interest in the players,” McGorey said. “He was not just there to ref a game and collect a check.”

Steve’s parenting style wasn’t all that different from a coach. He wanted his children to grow up to become good people and have respect for themselves, their family, and their community.

“You didn’t want to disappoint him,” Chin said. “When people found out my last name, they’d be like ‘Oh, are you Steve Hoppe’s kid?’ That always gave me a sense of pride. I knew my dad was just a really good guy and that’s something I always loved, being a Hoppe kid.”

Dr. McGorey’s relationship with Steve was mostly limited to basketball coach and referee status. Occasionally, they would see each other at some church functions or around town when Dr. McGorey was performing as a musician at a local bar/pub, and they would stop and chat for a few minutes.

After Steve was admitted to the IPC, Dr. McGorey noticed his name on the staff email list and went in for a visit to review his medications, his plan of care, and to see how he was feeling and if there was anything he needed. They started reminiscing about their St. Bernard’s days and how the Cubs and Brewers were a few games into the season. But Steve didn’t forget to ask Dr. McGorey if he had been to the Springsteen concert at Wrigley Field in August 2023.

“The fact that he even remembered something like that really touched me,” McGorey said. “Here he was dying of cancer and suffering from these health issues, and he asked about that concert experience eight months before. He saw me passing in the concourse and didn’t even meet and talk. He just happened to glance and saw me walking and that just amazed me that he cared enough to ask about it. We became instant “Springsteen” friends at that moment!”

Both shared a special bond they didn’t know they had until then. Dr. McGorey was able to visit Steve a few more times and suggested that he could bring his guitar and sing some Springsteen tunes for Steve sometime. Unfortunately, he never got that chance.

“Things got busier over the next several days at the IPC and Steve had many visits from family and friends,” McGorey said. “I didn’t want to impose or intrude on his limited time with them, so I let the days go by, thinking I’d get to it tomorrow or next week.”

Steve started to grow weaker and became more fatigued and less alert. He needed more medications to help him relax and keep him comfortable.

Steve passed away on April 25, 2024, at age 71. Dr. McGorey was ill at home that day and ended up going to the hospital for gallbladder surgery. He missed out on seeing Steve one last time and didn’t find out he died until two days later. Dr. McGorey felt immediate regret for not being able to play some music and provide some comfort for Steve in his final days.

Steve Hoppe (photo courtesy Schmutzler-Vick Funeral Home).

“My heart sank, and I began to cry – for Steve and his kids and for the lost opportunity to sit with him and share our mutual love of Springsteen music,” McGorey said. “I felt ashamed that I let so many days go by without walking into his room with my guitar to help ease his mind and provide him some comfort if even for just a few minutes, helping him forget just a bit that he was there, dying from his cancer and to lose himself in the music."

The Hoppes were impressed with the quality of care that Steve received at the IPC and how it almost felt like home. Erin was happy her dad spent his final days in a warm place filled with love and compassion and that his grandchildren could come and see him.

“There’s nothing that brought my dad more joy than being with his grandkids and it was so comfortable for us to bring our kids there,” Chin said. “The staff was amazing, and the room was really nice. We could open the window and get some fresh air, which we couldn’t do before. Going to Rainbow was so much different because there were more places to sit, the kids could go watch TV, go to the kitchen, and get snacks, and run around outside. They have the lovely garden, and they could come in the room and still see and talk to Grandpa but then could have a break doing something else.”

On the day Steve died, he was surrounded by all his loved ones, his three children, and his former wife, Catherine.

“When I visited Steve near the end of his life, he never felt story for himself or complained about anything,” Koepp said. “He was still talking about his great life, how lucky he was to have such wonderful friends, and most importantly, a family who loved him.”

Dr. McGorey offered to play a song at Steve’s visitation and the Hoppe family graciously accepted his request. He chose “I’ll See You in My Dreams.” It was a fitting song to honor a man that was loved by so many.

“If you read through the lyrics, it says our connection doesn’t end just because you died,” McGorey said. “That was the kind of message to Steve and his family. His body is going to be gone, but his spirit and memory live on."

A big gathering of people showed up at Steve’s visitation. Many of them didn’t even know the family personally but offered their condolences and a quick story about him. Others like Jamie Koepp only knew Steve as an official at first, but soon they developed a close friendship.

“We would talk about sports and our lives, and even golfed together a few times a year,” Koepp said. “I already miss my friend, as we would have numerous conversations about Marquette basketball by this time in early winter. Steve had as big of a heart as anyone. He talked about his kids and grandkids, nonstop.”

“That was a lovely opportunity to hear some of those heartwarming stories I hadn’t heard before,” Chin said. “My dad talked to us kids about people he knew around town or things he was involved in but would never brag about nice things he did.”

Steve’s family decided to start a scholarship in his name. In his will, Steve set aside some money for a Watertown High School graduate who wants to go into nursing.

“My sister’s a nurse, my dad’s sister (Aunt Nancy) is a nurse, my mom is a nurse, and he was surrounded by nurses and had such great care, so that was really important to him,” Chin said.

Instead of flowers, the Hoppe family asked Steve’s friends to make donations to the Watertown Area Community Foundation to go towards the nursing scholarship.

Dr. McGorey missed out on performing for Steve in his room at the IPC but thought he could take advantage of another opportunity. He decided to perform at Lyon’s Irish Pub in Watertown the night of Steve’s funeral mass and ended up raising just shy of $1,200 for the Steve Hoppe Nursing Scholarship Fund.

Dr. McGorey started performing at local venues in 2013, and raised money for several causes, including a Rock ‘n’ Roll Christmas show for the Watertown Food Pantry, other concerts for Madison/Milwaukee Honor Flight groups, Christmas Neighbors, the Watertown Humane Society, and Watertown Education Foundation, and a 28 day show fundraiser for a Tornado relief fund for people affected by an E4 tornado in Washington, Illinois in November 2013.

The total Dr. McGorey raised at the May show coupled with what the Hoppe family got in donations has the nursing scholarship growing to more than $15,000.

Dr. Thom McGorey performs some Bruce Springsteen songs to honor Steve in September 2024.

The Hoppes decided to honor Steve with a party in September around what would have been his 72nd birthday. Dr. McGorey asked them if he could perform some Bruce Springsteen songs and came up with the idea for a tribute show for Steve at the Irish Pub on Saturday, September 21^st. It fell on the weekend between Steve’s birthday (September 16^th) and Bruce’s birthday (September 23^rd). Dr. McGorey had enough time to get a trio together for the event. The Hoppe family couldn’t attend the show in May but were there for the one in September. The show included Dr. McGorey on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, a saxophone player, Nathan Gerlach, and his friend Dr. Wade Woelfle performing on the piano.

“It was really incredible,” Chin said. “It was fun for Dad’s friends and meaningful for our family that he could be honored in this way.”

Dr. McGorey designed flyers promoting the event and spent several hours rehearsing for the big day. He remained in communication with the Hoppes and created a set list featuring some of Steve’s favorite Springsteen songs. Dr. McGorey also took Steve’s original obituary and wrote a Springsteen-style” one for Steve that includes the titles of about 100 Springsteen songs. Most importantly, he helped Steve’s family and friends find solace like Steve did in Bruce’s songs.

“For Dr. McGorey to recognize my dad’s love of music and how it translated into this incredible support for our family during this tough time. I think Dad would have been really touched,” Chin said.

It doesn’t seem real that Steve has been gone for almost nine months. When there is something new happening in life, Erin can’t help wanting to share the news with her dad.

“For a split second the other day, the first thought that popped into my head is ‘I got to call dad.’ Chin said. “I don’t know when that feeling will go away, and I don’t necessarily want it to go away.”

The holiday season and other important life events make it tougher not having him around.

“It’s kind of like picking a scab off,” Chin said. We had his burial, his party, and sold his house and everything was spaced out over seven months. Then right before Thanksgiving last year, that’s when our lives changed. Every new thing that happens is a grand reminder that he’s gone.”

Erin plans to continue doing something around Steve’s birthday each year to honor him somehow.

“I took my son mini golfing in September because I thought this would have been something I would have loved to do with my dad here,” Chin said.

There’s no doubt that Steve has visited his family and friends in their dreams on more than one occasion and when they go to sleep, they will likely see his smiling face again.

“Death is not the end, and I'll (we'll) see you in my (our) dreams.” – Bruce Springsteen