Joung Hee Krzic

Joung Hee (née Cho) Krzic, age 69, passed away Wednesday, December 13, 2023. Beloved wife of 43 years to Gerard A. Krzic and most loving mother of Kristin Jayhee Krzic; she was preceded in death by her parents, Younggyu (father) and Gwijo (mother) Cho. She leaves behind many relatives in Korea and the United States: dearest sister of Sookja, Yongrak, Sangmoon, and Jongwon Cho; dearest sister-in-law to Gyeongsun Lee, Gwibun Choi, Misuk Huh, Jeanne (née Krzic) Andexler, Geraldine (née Krzic) and Lawrence Schreibman; loving aunt to Huigeun, Jonghyeon, Hyeonjeong, Jihyun, Sinjeong, Inje, Gije, Irin, Joel, Lindsay, Marc, Eric, Samantha, Benjamin, and Jacob; great aunt to Jeongho, Yoonho, Raeyun, Suin, Fallyn and Makayla. She was a delightful grandmother to her daughter Kristin’s endearing poodle Chance (aka “The Chancellor.”)

Joung Hee was a dedicated teacher and mentor to her students.  In her early career in Korea, she taught Korean language in the public schools and tutored American Peace Corps Volunteers in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, where she met and married her husband.  She began her U.S. teaching career as an instructional aide at East Elementary School in Athens, Ohio. In 1988, she earned her Master of Education degree at Ohio University and subsequently began to teach numerous courses there in Japanese, a language and culture she had previously learned while living for three years at Chubu University, Ohio University’s sister school in Kasugai, Japan.  In 1993, Joung Hee and her husband led the first group of Ohio students to study at Chubu and continued a lifelong devotion to students from both schools.  Over a 30-year period, Joung Hee advised more than 2,000 Chubu students who had come to study at Ohio.  In recognition of her unfailing support and encouragement they affectionately called her “our second mother.” 

Joung Hee will be greatly missed by everyone.  We will miss her sense of humor and infectious laugh – she could appreciate a good joke in English, Korean, Japanese and even Serbo-Croatian, another language she studied while living for a year in former Yugoslavia.  A season ticket holder for Ohio basketball, she cheered on the Bobcats to their many victories, yet she understood the angst of long-suffering Cleveland sports fans everywhere.  Her humor was matched by her industriousness and organizational skills.  Her class lessons were meticulously planned and her students’ homework always promptly returned. She spent hours in her tidy office talking to students, particularly the ones from Chubu University.  At the end of most days, she would visit her husband’s messy office and in five minutes rearrange things into an orderly manner.  Gardening, like teaching, was a great passion of hers. She was an early riser, often getting up at daybreak to tend to her backyard flower garden before going to school.  It is her passion for her family, her nurturing attitude to her students, and her complete selflessness that we will never forget.

A Celebration of Joung Hee’s Life will take place in 2024 in Athens, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Joung Hee’s memory can be made to the Division of Gynecologic Oncologyat the James Cancer Center or the American Cancer Society.

The family is currently planning to establish a scholarship in her name at Ohio University. Arrangements have been entrusted to Hughes-Moquin Funeral Home, Athens, Ohio. Those who wish to leave a message of sympathy may do so at www.hughesmoquinfuneralhome.com.