Dr. Agnes Inja Namkung Obituary (1936 - 2024)

Dr. Agnes Inja Namkung, passed away peacefully on April 8, 2024. The fourth child of Mr. Hyung Namkung and Mrs. Namchul Kim, was born on March 26, 1936, in Mokpo, South Korea. During the Korean War, Agnes was a major influence on her five younger siblings, mentoring and guiding them through the war and after the passing of their mother. Agnes enrolled at Seoul National University's Teachers College and later transferred to Korea University, where she graduated with a degree in Mathematics in 1960. Agnes dedicated her life to education. She was a founding faculty member of Sacred Heart College in Chuncheon in 1964, where she taught calculus. She earned a master's degree in Mathematics Education at Yonsei University. In 1970, she came to the United States to attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, receiving an M.S. in Mathematics and a Doctorate in Mathematics Education in 1975. She then taught Computer Science at Roane State Community College and at Pellissippi State Community College until she retired in 2002. In addition to her commitment to classroom teaching, Agnes was a major driver in the education and success of many of her family members. Six of her siblings followed her to the United States. During her 53 years living in Knoxville she built a community of friends through work, church, and her daily swims at the YMCA. Even after her retirement she kept active and engaged. She studied French, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese at the University of Tennessee. Agnes always had a love for visual art, and spent much of her retirement learning oil painting. In 2023, she relocated to Seattle to be closer to family. Agnes is survived by three brothers, two sisters-in-law, a brother-in-law, twelve nephews and nieces, and ten grand-nieces and grand-nephews, and she will be greatly missed. She was devoted to the Roman Catholic faith throughout her entire life, and was a longtime member of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Knoxville. A funeral mass will be celebrated at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, on May 21, 2024 at 2pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Agnes's name to the University of Tennessee, Otto C. Kopp Undergraduate Senior Research Endowment (https://give.utk.edu/campaigns/42950/donations/new?designation=ottockoppundergraduateseniorresearchendowment).