One of Whataburger's biggest fans dies of cancer; visited over 730 locations

A Rockport woman who visited every Whataburger location in the country with her husband died of cancer this past week. Carol Hoepfner was 77 years old when she succumbed to eye cancer. She had also suffered from Alzheimer’s. Her husband Karl was named Whataburger's biggest fan in 2010 after he wrote an essay about the burger chain. Before she died the couple had visited every single Whataburger location in the country, 739 in all. When she was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 the pair decided to take on the multi-state task. less A Rockport woman who visited every Whataburger location in the country with her husband died of cancer this past week. Carol Hoepfner was 77 years old when she succumbed to eye cancer. She had also suffered ... more Image 1 of / 84 Caption Close One of Whataburger's biggest fans dies of cancer; visited over 730 locations 1 / 84 Back to Gallery

A Rockport woman who visited every Whataburger location in the country with her husband died of cancer this past week.

Carol Hoepfner’s husband Karl Hoepfner had won the title of Whataburger’s biggest fan in 2010 after he wrote on essay about how he had visited Whataburger at least 7,000 times in his lifetime dating back to 1963.

Mrs. Hoepfner was 77 years old when she succumbed to eye cancer. She had also suffered from Alzheimer’s.

The couple married in 1957 and had met while they were both enlisted in the United States Air Force in San Angelo. That was where they first had Whataburger together.

Her funeral on Saturday morning in Rockport featured an Air Force honor guard, giving the late Hoepfner a traditional military funeral.

She had retired as a Master Sergeant in 1985, according to an obituary.

The couple had two children together. Seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren would come later.

Before she died the couple had visited every single Whataburger location in the country, 739 in all. When she was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 the pair decided to take on the multi-state task.

Whataburger gave the couple $7,000 in gift cards which in turn they gave out to those in need. They said at one point that they might have fed 2,000 people with the cards.

RELATED: 6 reasons why 2015 was the year of Whataburger

They were just like other older couples their age, but instead of vowing to visit each national park or monument during their golden years they wanted to visit every orange-and-white burger joint in creation. They had already visited all seven continents and decided to embark on another journey.

In 2013, Whataburger bought them a special van for their ongoing trip. On Carol’s side of the van Whataburger included a message: “I’m Whataburger’s BIGGEST FAN. But you can call me Carol.”

Soon every location they visited began throwing a party for the couple whenever they arrived complete with souvenirs and cake.

RELATED: High school football player signs with 'Whataburger University'

They always made sure to have the folded table number 13 when they ate.

“When Karl and Carol Hoepfner won Whataburger's Biggest Fan Contest in 2010, we had no idea how much they would come to mean to us,” Whataburger reps said in a statement last week.

According to the Caller-Times Karl always ordered a Whataburger on a toasted bun with grilled onions and jalapenos and Carol preferred a smaller Justaburger with grilled onions. They avoided fries and onion rings but did mix in Whataburger salads into their diets.

The couple had relocated to Houston at one point during her cancer treatment.

They were on the road together even as she was being treated for cancer, which had at one point went into remission. They finished up their trek in 2013.

“Carol had such a profound effect on us not because of her awards and accomplishments, but because of her caring smile, and the way she and Karl set an example of an ever-growing love that we could all look up to,” the chain said in a statement.

“The smile she wore so proudly was responsible for creating thousands of smiles and moments of genuine happiness inside every one of our restaurants.”

After Whataburger honored Carol on Facebook with a heartfelt post about her death, Karl commented on the photo they used, a simple shot of the pair sitting next to the water in matching Whataburger shirts.

“Carol was a very special person, and I feel so blessed that she picked me to go along on her life journey. Now she is on her final one, and I know every time I visit another WAB (Whataburger) and have a hamburger, Carol's mouth will water,” Hoepfner wrote.