Margie Ann Binkley, 97, passed away on Dec. 4, 2025, at Alpine Valley Post Acute & Healthcare Center, Lebanon.
Born in Harrisonburg, VA, on Aug. 18, 1928, she was the daughter of the Late Dwane F. and Evangeline F. (Keyton) Hopkins. Her family was poor and moved a lot in Virginia, but they always seemed to have some fun. In 1941, war broke out. At her grandfather’s request, the family packed up the old car with all their belongings and her parents with six kids in tow and moved to Fredericksburg, PA, to help with his farm.
Margie attended the Fredericksburg School. She and her two younger brothers would walk from Mountain Road to the Fredericksburg Bowling Alley to set pins and then walk back home at night when the job was done. She also helped on the farm with her siblings. When Margie was old enough, she quit school to help support her family. She mostly worked in sewing factories in Lebanon. She soon met and married the love of her life, Harvey L. Binkley, of Fredericksburg, in December 1945. Margie and Harvey divorced in 1951, and she relocated to Baltimore, MD, where she met and married Earl Serena. They were married until his death in 1972, when, while crossing a road, he and Margie were hit by a drunk driver.
Margie moved back to Lebanon and met up with her first husband, who was now a widower himself. They remarried in December 1972. They did a lot of traveling in their camper. Later in their retirement years, they bought a small trailer at Holly Lakes, DE, where they spent lots of time boating, crabbing, and fishing. This was one of the best times of her life. They would be home in the winter, but come spring, you would find them in Delaware. Margie loved entertaining, and she hosted most picnics and family get-togethers at her house. Harvey and Margie stayed married until his death in 2005.
Margie was a lifetime member of the R Field and Stream and a member of the Jonestown Legion. Most of all, she was the family historian; in her later years, her memory was as sharp as a tack. Her stories will be told, but never as good or in detail as she could tell them. She was the last of the glue for the Hopkins/Keyton family. To say she will be missed would be an understatement.
Margie is survived by her siblings, Ivan D. Hopkins, of Lebanon, Marian F., wife of Gary Agrusa, of NM, Richard, husband of Pat Hopkins, of OH, and Nancy Stutzman, of AZ; caretaker of five years and loving niece, Judy A. Lewis, wife of Thomas L. Snavely, of Lebanon; and many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews. In addition to her husbands, she was preceded in death by her twin brother and sister, Welden and Mable, Dwane F. Jr., and Harry R. Hopkins, all born and died in infancy; and siblings, Carroll F. Hopkins, Eunice A. Lewis, and Jennings A. Hopkins. The siblings were all close-knit, but Jennings, Ivan, and Margie were the three amigos. They had coffee and treats almost every morning for many years at Margie’s house.
Margie will be interred with her husband, Harvey, at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery at the convenience of the family.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Wreaths Across America, P.O. Box 249, Columbia Falls, ME 04623, or the Humane Society of Lebanon County, 150 N. Ramona Road, Myerstown, PA 17067. She was loyal to two things: veterans and all animals.
