54-year-old Hampshire man killed in Kane County wreck

A 54-year-old Hampshire man who died in a one-vehicle crash Thursday night was remembered as an avid NASCAR fan who loved to go fishing and had lots of friends.

Thomas E. Kopitke was killed after his vehicle rolled over and nearly split in two just before 9 p.m. on Walker Road between Route 72 and Allen Road in unincorporated Kane County near Hampshire, authorities said.

Kopitke was driving a 1989 Ford Mustang north on Walker Road, then left the roadway on the west side and struck a concrete encasement, Kane County Sheriff officials said. He was the only occupant of the car, which overturned and came to a rest in a field. Fire crews had to cut Kopitke out of the car, officials said.

Kopitke was a gregarious guy who made friends very easily, said his son, Jason Kopitke, of Jacksonville, Fla. He had two younger sons, 24-year-old twins Chris Kopitke, of Wonder Lake, and Josh Kopitke, of Marengo.

“All you had to do is meet him one time, and he was your friend,” Jason Kopitke said. “All my friends, all my brothers' friends, everybody was like, 'Uncle Tommy.'”

Thomas Kopitke's second cousin, Lisa Kopitke of Chicago, agreed. “He was definitely bold, he said what needed to be said,” she said. “Everybody called him 'Pops,' he was like a second father to them.”

Thomas Kopitke was born in Chicago and served four years in the U.S. Navy, then moved to Mount Prospect, said Jason Kopitke, who also serves in the U.S. Navy. His father had lived in Hampshire for about 15 years, and shared a home with his fiancee, Katie Ritchie, he said. Initial reports that he was 58 years old were incorrect, he added.

Although Thomas Kopitke worked primarily as a painter, he was a “jack of all trades” who did everything but plumbing, and once even went all the way to Jacksonville to help him remodel his bathroom, Jason Kopitke said. He was a huge NASCAR enthusiast and took every chance to go fishing, his son said.

Jason Kopitke said he was trying to get more details from authorities about the accident. Thomas Kopitke was on his way home at the wheel of the Mustang he had bought for his fiancee, Jason Kopitke said. His father's car was a Corvette, he added.

Thomas Kopitke was a member of Painters District Council No. 30 Local 97 out of West Chicago, said Mark Guethle, the council's director of governmental affairs. “He seemed like a nice, easy going person. He was a good worker. He worked hard,” said Guethle, who knew Kopitke for about 15 years. “He was a good guy.”

Thomas Kopitke and his fiancee were scheduled to go to Florida next month to meet his first grandchild, Jason Kopitke's daughter Phoebe, who was born May 16, Jason Kopitke said.

“He loved his family more than anything,” he said. “He just loved life. It's hard to explain somebody who was so happy about everything.”

There were no witnesses to the crash, which remains under investigation.