Kyu Sun Theresa Sabina

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of our dear mother, Kyu Sun Theresa Sabina, who passed away Dec 17th, 2025, at the age of 83 from surgical complications following a fall and hip fracture.

 She was born in Seoul, South Korea on 2/24/1942, to Noh Heung Geun and Song Gi Im. She suffered tragedies early on, losing her father during the Korean war when she was only 7. She also lost her younger sister, Noh Kyong Sun, whom she described as beautiful and artistic.

 She made a life with her dear mother and younger brother, Whan Ik, whom she described as very intelligent. She met our father at the Lucky bar while he served in the Army from 1965-1967 in a small village, Changpa-ri, located in Paju, of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, very close to the Demilitarized Zone. There, they had their eldest child, Anna Marie R, and our mother and Anna were baptized while in Korea.

 Our parents married 5/23/1968 in the US Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. Mom and Anna moved to the USA 8/20/1968, and Mom described the memory of seeing her own mother faint as they left.

 Life wasn’t always easy adapting to US customs while trying to learn English. She had 3 more children, James Michael, Theresa Elizabeth, and John Thomas, and she was naturalized 4/25/1973.

 She was an extremely hard worker in everything she did, even when it didn’t come easy. She worked hard to learn English, spending hours at the kitchen table reading and practicing her writing. Despite being forced by poverty to drop out of school after 6th grade, education was a top priority for her, and she pushed all 4 kids to have high academic standards.

 She gave everything for the family, often going without herself and making sacrifice after sacrifice, with her greatest joy being her kids having success in our lives.

 She got to visit South Korea one last time in the early 1990’s, when she reunited with her mother, brother, and his wife, and also met her nephews, Seung Kyu, Myeong Kyu, and Hyeong Kyu. 

She enjoyed having a handful of nearby Korean friends, historic Korean dramas, Korean music, cooking, sewing, and gardening, and she was also fascinated with Princess Diana and Elvis. She also loved watching her kids and grandkids play sports and perform dance recitals.

 In addition to her parents and sister, she was preceded in death by her husband, William Joseph Sabina, in July of 2022 after being married 54 years. She lost her daughter-in-law, Stephanie Sabina in February of 2022. She is survived by all four children, Anna (Robert) Weaver, Jim (late Stephanie) Sabina, Theresa (Jamie) Pinder, and John Sabina. She was known to her grandkids as Harmony and is survived by Joseph (Danielle) Hylton, Kayleigh (Robert) Philpot, Carrianne Sabina, and Jonah and Joshua Pinder, along with multiple great grandchildren.

 Her passing leaves a large and permanent hole in our hearts, which we will try to fill with memories of the love she abundantly gave to us. You loved and worked tirelessly Mom. May you now rest in peace.

 Services on Dec 23, 2025, include a private family viewing at 11 a.m. at Raven Choate Robinson Funeral Home, followed by a funeral mass at St. Paul Catholic Church at 1p.m., followed by burial next to our father at Grant Memorial Park cemetery in Marion, IN.