Hopping Joins Clerk Office
Deby Hopping recently started as Noel city clerk.
She’s settled in, organized files and is enjoying connecting with the community.
Deby Hopping planned to retire early, and then life happened. She had been praying about filing for early retirement when she heard of a job opening that sounded interesting. She decided — on a whim — to apply.
“I thought, ‘If this is what the Lord wants me to do, I’ll submit my resume.’”
Things quickly clicked. Hopping started as Noel city clerk on the Tuesday after Memorial Day. She’s settled in, organized files and is enjoying connecting with the community.
Hopping is already active in the community. She serves as secretary for the Noel Women’s Club, is a Mary Kay consultant and a Red Hat Society member. She plays the Cajon and other percussion instruments in her church’s praise band, with the Beacon Baptist in Gravette, and writes articles for the church’s newsletter.
The former Walmart Home Office associate has tons of customer service and office experience. Hopping worked as a buyer’s assistant for 12 years. She also worked in training and development, teaching classes and revising documents.
That experience helped her with other tasks, such as designing brochures for her massage therapy business, as well as writing policies and procedures for that line of work.
Her organizational skills also helped define items on her bucket list.
So when she and her husband moved to Idaho in 2011, she decided to branch out and earn an online associate’s degree in medical assisting. It was something she always wanted to do.
After they moved back to McDonald County, she joined a medical clinic while focusing on helping her husband raise sheep and Idaho pasture pigs on their farm right outside of Noel.
Knee surgery and recovery, however, compelled her to take a break from work.
She thought she was content with her life but is grateful she now has the chance to meet more residents and new co-workers.
“The ladies I work with are talented and phenomenal at their jobs,” she said.
Hopping is enjoying working with the various department heads, getting to know the details of the job and trying to be of service to others.
Having a position that requires her to get out of the house has been exactly what she needed.
“It’s a real blessing to be more involved in the community,” she said.
She doesn’t know what God has in store for her in the long-term. After all, landing the job was a curveball in life.
For now, she’s enjoying this new path.
“I’ll be here as long as I’m a blessing to others,” she said.