Lorie Hopster, Material Damage OCR Supervisor, will retire on June 30 after almost 30 years of dedicated service.

By Lorie Hopster
 

I started work as a records coordinator for Farm Bureau in October of 1992. I did that for two years before moving to claims as a claims examiner. I moved into an OCR (Office Claims Rep) position later, and then became a material damage and OCR Supervisor.

My OCR team has some of the hardest-working employees in the company! These employees work their butts off and we are lucky to have them! I will miss them all very much!

It seems like I have been at Farm Bureau my whole life. When I started my youngest son was a baby and he is now 30! Time really does fly by. I will be forever grateful for the people that have supported me while I grew up in this company. My managers, vice presidents, human resources, finance, coworkers, and my friends have truly helped make me who I am today and I will never forget them!

I was born and raised in Pocatello and I am lucky enough to have all of my kids and grandkids right here with me.

I have so many memories of Farm Bureau. One of my favorites is when we had a sleep over at the old Farm Bureau building and watched scary movies. One of our managers snuck in with a mask, came down the stairs,  and scared the crap out of us! I don’t remember anyone making it all night after that.

The most important thing to me is how the claims department was really close. We were like family. We knew about each other’s lives and the people that were important to them. We celebrated holidays together, had summer picnics, our kids grew up together - we really were all good friends. We went through the good and the bad together and we knew that if we ever needed anything, we had each other. Our friendships are unique and I will cherish them forever!

I am married to my best friend and he supports me in everything I do. I am so excited to see where our journey takes us. Together we have five kids and four grandkids who we plan on making lots of memories with! We will start by taking all of them to Hawaii in July. We are super excited to be able to support them in all of the things they are involved in.

After retirement we plan on working on our new house, heading to Arizona in our trailer when it’s cold, traveling to all the places that we want to see, and spending time with the people that make us happy.

I would like to say thank you to everyone who has been a part of my life at Farm Bureau. I could not have done it without you!

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Please join us in thanking Lorie for her dedicated service and congratulating her on her well-deserved retirement. An open house for Lorie will be held on Thursday, June 30, from 2:00 to 3:30 PM in the Home Office's lunchroom. 

COMMENTS FROM LORIE'S COWORKERS

I have worked with Lorie for roughly 30-ish years now. Lorie is so smart and so helpful and I am so proud of her. She has worked her way up the ranks so to speak. She is a hard worker and always gets it done!

I knew I could always count on her to help talk out a claims problem or just answer a question on a type of claim I hadn’t done in a while. I am positive that our department will absolutely feel her absence and it will not be the same without her.

We began as coworkers and she is leaving as one of my closest friends.

Lorie has always made work a happy place to be; her sense of humor is something to behold! She can crack me up at any moment. We’ve had so many laughs at work. To be honest, we probably had a little too much fun sometimes! We’ve made so many memories both at work and away from work. We have had personal fun times, happy times, sad times and tragic times that we have leaned on each other for.

I am personally heartbroken she is leaving, but I’m so happy to have been her friend all of these years. I truly don’t remember Farm Bureau without her being here.

I wish her only the best in her retirement and selfishly hope she is bored and wants to come back!  

-Shellie Davis, Casualty FCR II, Chubbuck

Lorie Hopster has helped me in the Claims Department for years. She is very knowledgeable and very willing to help everyone. She always has a joke and happy attitude. Claims will not be the same without her.

-Christina Degn, Fast Track OCR, Home Office

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Lorie is a rock star and will be greatly missed. She’s a fantastic teammate, friend, and all-around human. There will be a void in our department with her absence, but we are very excited for her retirement adventure. Thank you for everything Lorie! Don’t be a stranger!

-Teresa Durrant, Director of Claims, Boise

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I’ve worked with Lorie since I started at Farm Bureau 11 years ago. She taught me how to be an adjuster…in her own way. I’m pretty sure Lorie loves nothing more than to tease me and I think that’s what she’ll miss the most. I learned a lot from that teasing!

She made coming to work fun. We got the work done, but we also had a lot of laughs. Lorie has a natural talent for making others feel comfortable and at ease in any situation, whether it was with her co-workers or with insureds and claimants.

Lorie is more amazing than she will ever give herself credit for, and she has been a great source of knowledge to many past and current OCRs.

I will miss her positivity. Being in claims has its good share of difficulties but she always looked on the bright side (always ready to turn over a new leaf). I will miss her honest and hard-working nature. She knew her job and you knew she was going to get it done. She worked hard for our insureds all over the state. You will be greatly missed by me and by the Farm Bureau employees who worked so closely with you.

I wish all the best to you and Doug in your new adventures as a retired couple! I’m glad you will have more time to spend with your kids and grandkids.

 
Thank you for being one of my best friends. Thank you for your welcoming kindness when I first started and for your friendship over the years. You have become a big part of my life over these past few years. I will be forever grateful to Farm Bureau for bringing us together.

Thank you for the memories. For me, Farm Bureau will not be the same without you. I will miss you my friend. 

-Natalie Lemmon, Casualty FCR, Home Office

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Lorie has been a great friend for all these years. It’s hard to believe we have been here 29 years. Through all those years, Lori has shown us how to have fun at work while still getting it done. Her laugh is infectious. I seem to recall Lori using a phrase at least once, “When I’m helping, I’m happy!” She may have been making a pun, but I believe she meant it as she still does even as she prepares for retirement. I will miss her.

Thank you for all your years of laughter and service.

-Trevor Makinson, Claims Supervisor, Home Office

Lorie can cheer up the mood in any room she walks into. I can’t think of a time I ever saw her in a bad mood. Well, unless she knows she has to talk at someone else's retirement party. Her positive attitude and smile is a constant. I wish her luck in trying to have too much fun on her travels in retirement.

Thanks for being a pivotal part to the success of Farm Bureau.

-James Mower, Casualty Claims Manager, Boise

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Lorie for 29 years! We’ve raised our kids together and the two of us have grown up together.

Whenever she would play a joke on us – after she finished laughing – she would say “I’m turning over a new leaf!” Her tree doesn’t have any leaves left after all her shenanigans!

She has a nickname for everyone she works with and some have stuck outside the workplace.

Lorie is truly dedicated to Farm Bureau and our customers. She’s done a fantastic job rolling out and monitoring our Direct Repair Program.

I wish her and Doug the best in their future.

-Angie Musser, Material Damage Claims Manager, Home Office

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It’s hard for me to know how to start with the thought of not having Lorie at Farm Bureau.

Lorie has been a part of what has made Farm Bureau such a great place for me to work for almost 27 years. Even though she seems to enjoy laughing at me more than with me, she still goes out of the way to make things easier for all of us with a genuine smile.

Lorie has always been eager to help with anything and was a big part of helping to keep the adjusters motivated during some of the longest days during our CAT events.

 
There are too many other things to list that we will all miss, but most of all I will miss my friend.

 
Thanks Lorie. You deserve a fun and relaxing retirement in the sun. 

-Paul Schiffman, Litigation Claims Manager, Boise

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