Obituary of Duckja Kim

Duckja Ryu Kim passed away in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on June 15, 2024. She was 81.

Duckja was born in Seoul, Korea and came to the United States in the late 1960s to attend graduate school.

Known to her English-speaking friends as “Ducky,” she married Gihong Kim in Chicago in 1969.

They moved to North Andover, Mass., in the 1970s. She worked in accounting at a local dairy company, but church life always beckoned.

When the couple and their growing family relocated to Gladstone, N.J., in the early 1980s, Duckja began studying to be a pastor and eventually earned her Master of Divinity, becoming the first provost of the Assemblies of God Theological School of New York. She preached at Galilee Assemblies of God church in Union, N.J., and became one of the denomination’s few female pastors nationwide. Subsequently, she preached at a small church in Odo-ri, Korea.

In her later days, Duckja and Gihong split time between New Jersey and Odo-ri, where they cherished daily sunrise views over the East Sea.

Duckja enjoyed warm days, journaling and travel, particularly to beach destinations. She always colored her outdoor spaces with flowers. In spring, her deck popped with reds, blues and yellows. She also favored Korean and Italian food, sometimes both at the same time.

She prayed and studied the Bible every day, girding an immutable faith in God. She became the family’s central listener, counselor and prayer warrior. Those around her—family, friends, church colleagues—often confided to her their deepest anxieties and hopes. Church goers said that she left a “legacy of faith” that will endure.

Duckja also emitted an infectious energy. She could ignite a room of smiles just with her own or bring instant comfort with a mere pat on the shoulder. Duckja loved her family dearly and was loved profoundly by her husband and children, as well as by so many around her.

She will be sorely missed.

She graduated from Ewha Womans University in Korea and also received a master’s in education from Roosevelt University in Chicago.

Duckja is survived by her husband Gihong; her four children—Grace and husband Eugene, Ted and wife Amy, Easter and husband Bum Joon, Lily and husband Jerry; her sister Young Ja; her nieces and nephews, Sunnie and husband Bok Kyung, Francis and wife Grace, David and wife Esther; as well as her eight grandchildren—Nathaniel, Carolina, Weston, Trinity, Harding, Tobias, Gabriel and Elwood—and larger extended family.

A viewing is set for 10 a.m., followed by a service at 11 a.m., on Saturday, June 22 at Bailey Funeral Home, 8 Hilltop Road, Mendham, N.J.