William Lewis Hopping, “Hops”, was born in Delaware County in 1887, the son of William Morris and Sara Emma (Helm) Hopping. He was a candy-maker and manager of a drive-in in Muncie before becoming the proprietor of Hop’s Drive-In. Hops Drive-In operated throughout the mid-1950’s. The building was downtown Yorktown (near the bridge) in a building that was the home of many small restaurants throughout the years.
His wife was Grace Maude Hawk. The two were married in Darke County, Ohio in 1905. Grace was born in 1886, the daughter of John and Emma (Helm) Hawk.
They had 5 children: Vera, Ethel, Jeanette, John and Peggy. Hops died in 1971 and Grace before him in 1968. He helped make many great memories of growing up in Yorktown.
His grandchild said that Hops had a very colorful life and was a bootlegger during Prohibition.