Jane Koyzis (1931-2023)

Born in Jackson, Michigan, to Frances Marie Hyder and Eino Korpinen, my mother had a difficult upbringing. Her father left the family when she was quite small. When Marie remarried a few years later, my mother had to endure an abusive alcoholic stepfather. It was not a promising start. But few have exhibited the grace of God in their lives more than she.

By 1940, her blended and somewhat troubled family was sharing a semi-detached dwelling in Milan, Michigan, with the family of her best friend Donna, who took her to their independent Baptist church. Here my mother heard the gospel and by late adolescence came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. After a stint working for a short-lived automobile company in what was then the largest building in the world – the former Willow Run bomber plant near Detroit – she decided to study at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Here is where she met my Cypriot-born father.

Their studies at Moody changed their lives for the better. My mother studied Christian education, which covered such topics as child-rearing and teaching Sunday school. My father was in the pastor’s course, and both had thought of becoming overseas missionaries, an aspiration they put aside after they started having children.

Faith & family

My parents were utterly committed to raising their children to love and serve the Lord. Along with another family, they founded an Orthodox Presbyterian Church congregation in my hometown of Wheaton, Illinois, although we later moved on to a Baptist church. One of my fondest memories is of my mother sitting on the double bed in the master bedroom, surrounded by her children, and reading to us from J. B. Phillips’ New Testament paraphrase. Her love of God was so infectious that her faith became second nature to her children.

Along with my father, she loved us deeply and enjoyed having us around. Unlike many parents, who quietly dread the summers when their children are out of school, she felt some regret at seeing us leave the house again in September. Whenever we needed advice or just a listening ear, she was our go-to person. Despite her own rocky beginnings, she became wise in her understanding of human relationships. Conversations with her were deep and satisfying.

A highly intelligent woman, she read voraciously and partnered with my father in their marketing business. A master of English usage, her keen editorial eye was a valuable asset as they compiled reports for their clients. She could easily beat two PhDs at Scrabble.

I thank God for the grace he showed in my mother’s life. We miss her, of course. But we take leave of her only for a time, awaiting in hope the resurrection of the righteous.