Winnie Hopkins’ 100 years in Downey

On the 29th of August in 1921, Mary Leona Mussachia was born as a premature baby. Due to how tiny she was, her father would call her “teeny weenie baby.” Mary preferred to be called Winnie; it basically became her new name and by the time 1956 came around, she legally changed her name to Winnie Mary Hopkins.

Winnie moved all around Downey; she grew up on Stewart and Gray Road and College Road, which is now known as Paramount Boulevard. Her father, John Mussachia, raised work horses that would pull a grading machine to level the roadways in Downey. He also leveled the Rio Hondo Golf Course.

She attended school from 1927 to 1933 at the one-room schoolhouse known as Old River School. The one room at Old River had six rows, one for each grade level, first through sixth grade. On rainy days, the teacher would ask all the students to bring a vegetable or some meat so she could cook her students soup on the radiator to eat for lunch.

Winnie then attended Downey Junior High School from 1934-1935. The school was at the location of Downey High School. After junior high, she attended Saint Anthony’s Catholic High School in Long Beach and graduated in 1939.

That same year Winnie graduated high school was, unfortunately, the same year of her father’s passing. Winnie’s mother, Clara, sold their 7 acre property to buy land on Dolan and 5th Street. She built two houses on that land, while Winnie attended Los Angeles Trade School to learn how to become a switchboard operator. The property on Dolan and 5th is still there today.

In 1941, Winnie began working as a switchboard operator at Garrett Freightlines. In the same neighborhood a man named Hays Hopkins worked for a trucking company and would often call Garrett Freightlines for business. He became so captivated by Winnie’s voice and personality that one day he called her on every line of her switchboard, occupying all lines, to convince her to go on a coffee date with him. She agreed to meet him despite never having laid eyes on one another before.

The date was to be love at first sight. After dating for a few years, they decided to marry in 1950, going on to have four children, Cathy, John, Lisa and Reenie.

Winnie and Hays first lived in a little house on 5th Street in Downey but then moved to a house on Devenir Street. Winnie became very active in the women’s guild at St. Raymond Catholic Church. Around 1960, the family moved to a home on Gainford Street and Winnie became active with Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church.

As any supportive mother, she was always very involved with her son’s athletic activities such as the Downey Junior Athletic Association (DJAA) and Downey Pop Warner Football. Winnie and her three daughters would tag along and help their mom in the snack bars during their brother’s practices which were held at either Furman Park or one of the junior high schools in Downey.

The family moved from Gainford Street to a home on Botany Street where Winnie still lives today. Her husband, Hays Hopkins, passed away in 1994 but her family is still growing today. She is blessed with 10 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren and counting.

Winnie’s best life advice is to always stay positive: “Life will always throw you curves, but keeping a positive attitude helps you through the rough times.” Winnie also mentioned she would have liked to have visited more of the United States; she has been to 10 of the 50 states.