Ted and Ann Hope, a married couple at Morning Pointe at Happy Valley in Walker County, Georgia, have developed a lifelong habit of stepping forward in faith from one opportunity to the next – from their younger days and work… to missionary activity… to making the move to assisted living.
Marriage and the Air Force
Ted was born on Nov. 17, 1929, and Ann followed on Jan. 31, 1930. They both met as they attended Gaffney High School in South Carolina together and started dating. They both went on to college.
In 1950, Ted was advised by a recruiter friend that an Army draft was coming, and he if he wanted to choose his branch of military service, he should enlist in the branch he preferred. So, he signed up for the Air Force.
“I was in the Air Force, and I had leave to come home for Christmas, and I asked Ann to marry me,” Ted shared. “She finally said yes.” Three days later, on Dec. 22, 1950, Ted and Ann wed.
The Hopes went on to have four children: three daughters and a son. Their family has since expanded to include eight grandkids, 13 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grands! Ted and Ann have a large family and 73 years of marriage to be proud of.
Ted served for four years in the Air Force, spanning Texas, Oklahoma, and North Carolina. Two years were in flying safety, which included the grisly task of investigating crashes. The second two years were in air operations, an administrative role that Ted liked a lot better.
A Sweet Career
After discharging from the Air Force as a Staff Sergeant, Ted completed his college degree in business and advertising at the University of South Carolina. He took a job with Carnation, a company that makes milk products, and he worked for them for seven years, moving four or five times and landing in Los Angeles.
Next, Ted worked for Western Grain Co. and moved to Birmingham, Alabama, for 18 months before coming to Lookout Mountain to work for Brock Candy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1968. He was with the confectioner for about a decade before he started his own candies and cookies company, Kitchen Fresh. The company distributed nationwide to a variety of stores, the biggest of which was KMART.
Through these years, Ann raised her family, and the family was very involved in their church, Lookout Mountain Presbyterian.
After eight years with Kitchen Fresh, Ted retired.
Supporting Missions
The Hopes loved to travel, and they love Jesus, so it just seemed natural that they would support missionaries. “We worked with and for missionaries and consulted with charitable Christian projects through other sending agencies,” Ted shared. “I was involved in world missions in our church.”
Ted or the two of them would visit missionaries around the world. “The main place was South Korea,” Ann said. “We would just encourage the members, visit with the members of various churches. We’d also go to a lot of conferences stressing missions.”
Ann’s favorite locations were Vienna, Austria; Istanbul, Turkey; and Budapest, Hungary. “They have a lot of history,” she explained.
One interesting fact was that on their travels, they were almost always the oldest members in the group. Some of their grandchildren even joined them. And Ted asked lots of questions wherever they went to arrive at the most comprehensive assessment of the situation in any given project.
Between their church visits and their personal travel, the Hopes set foot in every continent and all 24 time zones. Well, Ann didn’t choose to go to Antarctica, but Ted did. At 75 years old, he took off in an ice breaker from Argentina and visited the land of ice and penguins. “It was really pretty,” he said of his 10-day trip.
Coming to Morning Pointe
About three years ago, the Hopes were involved in a serious automobile accident. Although they recovered, they started needing more medical care. Their youngest daughter retired and came to live with them and take care of them.
They started looking for assisted living as Ted thought it would be better to get settled into a good place before their needs became too acute, and so they could let their daughter have more of her own life.
The Hopes didn’t have to look very far – just down the mountain to Rossville, Georgia, where Morning Pointe at Happy Valley was being built. They approached the decision the same way they have approached each big decision in their lives: prayer. In early February 2024, the Hopes moved into their apartment at the brand-new assisted living community.
“It’s worked out better than we expected,” Ted shared.
“It’s a nice place, and the food’s really good too,” Ann added.
The couple enjoys participating in the exercise classes, as well as going out in the sunshine for walks. Ted has even enjoyed playing some pool again for the first time in many years.
Ted’s advice to younger generations is this: “You’ve gotta believe, if you’re a Christian, in the Holy Spirit. If it’s your call to do something, do it. Step forward; don’t step back.”
Ann echoed his sentiments: “If you want to do something, go for it. Don’t be afraid.”
Ted and Ann, welcome to the Morning Pointe family!
