On Oct. 21, 1978, he was united in marriage to Valerie Jones, and to this union two daughters were born.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a stillborn son; a son-in-law, Bryan Cannon; a father-in-law, Frank Jones; and five uncles, Delmar, Lee, Virgil, Gene and Ollie Hall.
Rex is survived by his wife, Valerie, of the home; two daughters, Christy Cannon and her companion Dean Clouse of Mansfield, Mo., and Dawn Evans and her husband Randy of Republic, Mo.; three grandchildren, Kaelan, Triston and Cole Cannon all of Mansfield, Mo.; three brothers, Rick Hastings of Houston, Mo., Randy Hopkins and his wife, Darcy, of Mountain Grove, Mo., and J.C. Hopkins of Excelsior Springs, Mo.; four sisters, Sherri Meers and her husband, Lyle, of Fairfax, Mo., Donna Wade and her husband, Vint, of Moab, Utah, Jeannette Taylor and her husband, Tom, of Moab, Utah, and Kim Hopkins of Excelsior Springs, Mo.; one uncle, Gene Hastings, and his wife, Betty, of Mountain Grove, Mo.; his parents-in-law, Ruth and Don Wallace, of Mansfield, Mo.; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and many friends; and special little buddies, nephews, Ryan and Ethan and nieces, Kristen and Sammy.
He was born in Mountain Grove and lived his younger years in Wright and Webster counties. At the age of 15 he moved to Mansfield with his family and lived the rest of his life here. He worked on the pipeline and was a mechanic during his working years.
Rex had made a profession of faith in Christ and was of the Baptist/Pentecostal faith.
He enjoyed spending time with his family and visiting friends and was always willing to help anyone. Rex loved and was very proud of his daughters and thought they were his greatest gifts. Then his grandchildren arrived and he was one proud “Papa.” He thought Kaelan was the most beautiful girl in the world, Triston was the most humorous and could make anyone laugh and, of course, knew more about sports than anyone else, and he said Cole was the gentle one who was always willing to help others. He loved them dearly and was always bragging about them to other people. He enjoyed being with all of his and Valerie’s family, playing tricks and telling wild stories to his nieces and nephews.
In his spare time he enjoyed hunting, fishing, going to flea markets and antique stores.
Rex was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and a caring neighbor and friend. We celebrate his life and will always cherish the many good times we had together.