Kristine Hopkins Mohajer, age 75, of Leander, TX, passed away on June 24, 2025.

Born April 18, 1950, to Warren and Dorothy Hopkins. Kristine was the eldest of 10 children, and grew up in Canandaigua, NY. She often shared fond memories of antics with her siblings and life in a big family.

Kristine received a Bachelor of Science in journalism and business administration from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and a Master of Public Administration from Texas State University.

Kristine was passionate about education and public service. She was especially passionate about all children having equal rights to education. Kris was a special education teacher at the Austin State School and later at Anderson High School focusing on teaching life skills to special education students.

Her passion for education extended to teaching adults as well. Kris taught English as a Second Language to adults for many years in the evenings. She celebrated their cultures with monthly “Around the World” potlucks and her teaching focused on adults gaining confidence to comfortably and effectively communicate conversationally in everyday situations. Kris also taught government at Austin Community College where she challenged students to understand government through current events and local actions.

In the last stage of Kristine’s professional career, she worked for the Department of Family and Protective Services as an Education Specialist. Kris advocated for children in the welfare system, especially children with disabilities, and fought to ensure every child had an educational program that met their needs. She approached her job with humor and tenacity, never backing down when she knew a child might be falling through the cracks.

Kris was proud to serve on several boards and committees to provide policy guidance on special education and related services for children with disabilities in Texas. She was a member of the Austin Community College Foster Student Committee, Texas Children’s Commission, the Texas Head Start Advisory Board, and a governor appointee to the Continuing Advisory Committee for Special Education.

Kristine’s world revolved around her daughter, Brooke (Shawn) Devereaux and her two granddaughters, Sydney and Avery. She wasn’t ashamed to brag on their accomplishments and adventures. Her love for them was boundless.

Kris also loved her family and friends. She was always checking in with phone calls, and was so good at remembering the little details of their lives and celebrating their accomplishments.

During her downtime, Kris could be found reading. She read anything from murder mysteries to romance novels. She said it didn’t matter what you read as long as you were reading.

A celebration of life will be held on August 2, 2025, at 2:00 pm at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin at 4700 Grover Avenue. Family and friends are invited to come and share memories and stories about Kristine. We encourage attendees to wear red, Kristine’s favorite color, or another cheerful color to reflect the joy and beauty of her life.

Send to someone

Share this obituary with others

https://everloved.com/life-of/kristine-mohajer/obituary/

Copy