Bertram Henry Shoopman November 23, 1931 — July 24, 2025

Born in Somerset, Kentucky on November 23, 1931, he was the son of Bert Shoopman and Ritchey (Jones) Shoopman. He grew up in Texas, where he became an Eagle Scout and was inducted into the Order of the Arrow.

Through national competitive exams, he was awarded a Presidential Appointment to the U.S.

Naval Academy, where he graduated With Distinction in June 1953. He served on the heavy cruiser Bremerton before attending Submarine School in New London, CT. He served aboard USS Tench SS-417 and USS Croaker SS-246.

Upon leaving the Navy, Bert accepted a job at Exxon Baytown’s engineering department.

After Hurricane Carla decimated his family’s house in 1962 in Baytown, Bert rebuilt the house himself (after work and on weekends), discovering his love of swinging a hammer. A few years later (after work and on weekends), he almost completely singlehandedly built Dixie a dream home in Baytown, where the family lived until he accepted an overseas assignment and moved the family to Okinawa, Japan. There, Bert served as Mechanical Superintendent during the building and startup of Exxon’s Nissan Seikyu Refinery in Okinawa, Japan.

For fun, he ordered plans and built a 22-foot sailboat in the garage of their home and then took pleasure in sailing it with family and friends.

Upon retirement, he and his wife moved to Kentucky to the family farm, where he and his father enjoyed life as gentlemen farmers, raising registered Black Angus cattle and bringing in their own hay.

After his parents had passed away, Bert and Dixie left farming life and moved back to Dripping Springs and Rockport, Texas where Bert realized a lifelong dream, sailing his own Cheoy Lee 38-foot sloop.

Dixie’s happy childhood memories of time with her grandparents in Edna and summers in Port Alto with her aunts Jessie Lee and Meadie Pumphrey inspired the Shoopmans to move to Edna, Texas to spend their last retirement years.

Throughout his life, Bert was an active member of the United Methodist Church, serving on numerous leadership committees. He helped in constructing homes for Habitat for Humanity for many years.

He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Dixie Lee Williams Shoopman; daughters Mary Sue King, Gretchen Bernabei and Laurel Ann Smith; his son, Hank Shoopman; and eight grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.